The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Crushing Antaeus

Hans Sebald Beham

Cleveland Museum of Art

Black and white engraving of a muscular, nude man holding another muscular, nude man in his arms. The man on top is standing upright with his arms wrapped around the man below. The man on the bottom is bent at the knees and appears to be struggling; his head is tilted back and his eyes are closed. The standing man faces right, with short, curly hair and a focused expression. The man he holds has longer, curlier hair and a pained expression. They stand on dirt ground with rocks and boulders scattered around; some boulders are jagged and pointy. Behind them are tree branches with leaves. The scene includes a fallen tree branch on the ground and a partial view of a tree trunk to the right. Latin text is engraved at the top of the image, and a small box with "1545 HB" is at the bottom left.