The Farnese Hercules

Product Technique

Made of bronze (lost wax). "Lost Wax" bronze (or hot-cast bronze) is actually 100% pure bronze - essentially copper and tin. The most well-known and used process for making "lost wax" involves the pouring of molten bronze. This is the same method used by ancient civilizations to create bronze sculptures. The making of a "lost wax" bronze is a complex and time-consuming process, and specific technical expertise is needed to accomplish the task of making a bronze sculpture.

Order Preparation and Shipping

After the order, the products enter the mold workshop, and the production process takes place within 2-4 weeks. While most products may be in stock, if they are not, they are prepared within this timeframe. Ready products are shipped to your address via FedEx Express in special protective boxes. The shipping time is 3-4 days for America and 1-2 days for Europe. Please keep these details in mind when purchasing the product.

Item Description

-Weight:10 kg/ 22 Lbs
-Height:78cm/ 31 Inches
-Length:78cm/ 31 Inches
-Width:31cm/ 12 Inches

The Farnese Hercules is an ancient sculpture, likely an enlarged copy made in the early 3rd century AD by Glykon, based on an original by Lysippos or his circle from the 4th century BC. It was originally created for the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, dedicated in 216 AD, and later recovered in 1546. This heroically-scaled depiction of Hercules is among the most renowned sculptures of Antiquity, cementing the image of the mythic hero in European imagination.

The sculpture quickly entered the collection of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, grandson of Pope Paul III, enabling him to assemble one of the greatest collections of classical sculpture since Antiquity. For generations, the Farnese Hercules stood in its own chamber at Palazzo Farnese in Rome, surrounded by frescoes depicting his legendary deeds by Annibale Carracci and his studio, completed in the 1590s.

In 1787, the statue was relocated to Naples and is now exhibited in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale. The type of sculpture was well-known in Antiquity, with examples like a Hellenistic or Roman bronze reduction found in Foligno, preserved in the Louvre Museum, and a small marble, likely Greek and from the Roman period, displayed at the Museum of the Ancient Agora in Athens.

The Farnese Hercules itself is a massive marble statue, depicting a weary Hercules leaning on his club, draped with the Nemean lion's skin. He holds the apples of the Hesperides behind his back, symbolizing one of his Twelve Labours. This prominent statue was highly favored by the Romans, with copies found in Roman palaces and gymnasiums. One coarser copy stood in Palazzo Farnese's courtyard, and another, possibly ancient, inscribed "Lykippos," has been in the Palazzo Pitti's court in Florence since the 16th century.

The sculpture has undergone gradual reassembly and restoration. According to Guglielmo della Porta's letter, the head was separately recovered from a well in Trastevere and acquired for Farnese through della Porta's efforts. Della Porta's legs for completing the figure were so esteemed that when the original legs were rediscovered in ongoing excavations at the Baths of Caracalla, Michelangelo advised keeping della Porta's legs to demonstrate modern sculptors' ability to match the ancients. The original legs, from the Borghese collection, were not reunited with the sculpture until 1787. Goethe, in his Italian Journey, vividly describes his contrasting impressions upon seeing the Hercules with each set of legs, marveling at the clear superiority of the original ones.