Hercules Abducting Iole

Sebald Beham

National Gallery of Art

This print shows a battle scene with some people on horseback and some on the ground. In the center, the two horses charge at each other. On the right, a man in a crown sits on one of the horses, holding what looks like a long tree branch. Two people sit atop the horse on the left; the person in the front holds a long stick or club in one hand and a shield in the other, and their face is obscured by their upraised arm. Behind them, a nude person with long hair holds onto the person in front. This nude person also wears a crown. Below the hooves of the horses, two bodies are on the ground. On the left and right are two other people with weapons facing the center, one on the left with a bow and arrow and one on the right wielding a fish-shaped object. The scene is framed with foliage and cross-hatched lines. At the top is a horizontal scroll with text on it.