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Source Description

This small bronze statuette depicts a young boy holding a club, which he rests upon his shoulder. His nude body is somewhat chubby and has the proportions of a young child. His right hand is outstretched, and he may have once held something, perhaps an adversary or an animal. Striding to the left, his weight rests upon his left leg, while his right foot barely touches the ground. His hair is short and curly, held in place with a band.Although we tend to think of Herakles as an archetypal hero, fully grown and muscular, he is often represented as an infant or a child. The club, an attribute used in his deeds, confirms his identity. Herakles was unique among Greek heroes for having performed extraordinary deeds as an infant, strangling the snakes sent by Hera. Here, his weapon and active pose again suggest that this is no ordinary child; instead, he is imbued with the extraordinary strength of a hero.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
10902
label
Herakles as a Child
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
3
Source metadata
id
10902
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Herakles as a Child
description
This small bronze statuette depicts a young boy holding a club, which he rests upon his shoulder. His nude body is somewhat chubby and has the proportions of a young child. His right hand is outstretched, and he may have once held something, perhaps an adversary or an animal. Striding to the left, his weight rests upon his left leg, while his right foot barely touches the ground. His hair is short and curly, held in place with a band.Although we tend to think of Herakles as an archetypal hero, fully grown and muscular, he is often represented as an infant or a child. The club, an attribute used in his deeds, confirms his identity. Herakles was unique among Greek heroes for having performed extraordinary deeds as an infant, strangling the snakes sent by Hera. Here, his weapon and active pose again suggest that this is no ordinary child; instead, he is imbued with the extraordinary strength of a hero.
provenance
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
Copy: 1st century CE; Original: 332-30 BCE (Hellenistic)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Metal
statuettes (statues)
imageCount
3
pageCount
3
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
12.3
height
8
depth
4.5
dimensionsRaw
H: 4 13/16 x W: 3 1/8 x D: 1 3/4 in. (12.3 x 8 x 4.5 cm); Base H: 1 x W: 3 1/4 x D: 1 3/4 in. (2.5 x 8.3 x 4.5 cm)
Source extras
med
cast bronze
creator_ids
6256
6191
collection_ids
ROM
GRC
exhibition_ids
2089
2672
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
8120506cb5c2e94a
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
53fc9b73eac014b5
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
b9b6102e0c862b5a
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no