The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Conquering Troy

Hans Sebald Beham

Cleveland Museum of Art

The image depicts a chaotic scene with multiple figures and animals. A muscular, nude male figure wearing a helmet with feathers is positioned on the left, holding a club-like object and striking a horse. Another nude male figure is on the right, holding a long stick or spear. A third nude figure lies on the ground. There are two horses in the center, one rearing up on its hind legs and the other lying on the ground. A fourth figure, also nude, appears to be emerging from the body of the rearing horse. A fifth figure, wearing a helmet and holding a shield, is positioned behind the horse on the right. The scene includes a banner at the top with two lines of text: "HERCULES MULTIS" on the left and "BELLIS LACESSIT TROIAM" on the right. The year "1545" is printed in the bottom-left corner, and the initials "HSB" are in the bottom-right corner. The image is in black and white.