Lost wax bronze replica.
Author: Giambologna
Period: 1576 ca.
The capture of the Erymanthian boar was the fourth effort made by Hercules in the service of Eurystheus. The gigantic boar devastated Arcadia and Hercules had the task of capturing it alive: the hero succeeded in the enterprise by driving the animal into the snow to exhaust it. The statuette of Giambologna therefore depicts Hercules carrying the exhausted boar on his shoulders towards Mycenae.
We know that Giambologna at the latest in 1576 had been commissioned by Francesco I de 'Medici to produce a series of statuettes representing the theme of Hercules and his twelve labors.
The animal is rendered here in a very realistic way, probably thanks to the studies made in the famous zoological park of the Grand Duke, but in addition to the observation from life, suggestions could also have come from the ancient Uffizi Porcellino. The original masterpiece is located in the Kunstishstorische Museum, Vienna.
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