What Makes This Statue of Hercules So Great, Anyway?
Get up close and personal with a Greek god
Statue of Hercules (Lansdowne Herakles) (detail), about 125 CE, Roman. Marble. Getty Museum
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This Statue of Hercules shows the Greek hero standing proud, yet relaxed, and looking off into the distance holding his trademark club.
But what's with the lion skin in his right hand? And is it true that J. Paul Getty loved the statue so much, he wrote fan fiction about it?
In the first season of Getty's Close Looking video series, Getty curators explore the details of artworks they cherish. For this installment, curatorial assistant of antiquities Nicole Budrovich takes a deep dive into the history and significance of the Statue of Hercules (also known as the Lansdowne Herakles), a marble statue from about 125 CE, unearthed at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, Italy. She retells the story of the beloved Greek hero-turned-god, explains how the statue embodies his key attributes, and reveals how J. Paul Getty's fascination with the statue actually foreshadows the creation of the Getty Villa Museum.
Watch the video below!
Get an insider's view of more works of art in Getty's Close Looking series, in which art experts and enthusiasts around Getty share some of their favorite works of art.
