The Sanctuary of Hercules

Arnold Böcklin

National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of four people outside of a circular stone wall that contains a statue and several trees. The four people are on the left, next to an opening in the curving wall. Three of them are kneeling on the marble steps, facing the right, while the fourth stands, looking off to the left. The people are dressed in colorful draping cloths with plumed silver helmets and brown sandals. The standing person and one of the kneeling people carry tall spears. They all appear to have light skin and brown hair. In the center, tall trees are partially obscured by the stone wall. They have brown trunks and leaves in shades of green and orange. The stones below are covered with orange leaves. The wall itself is made of irregular stones in shades of pale yellow, brown, gray, and white. To the right of the trees, a dark statue is partially visible, showing a man in a helmet, facing the left. The sky behind the scene is dark, filled with heavy gray clouds.