Hercules and the Cretan Bull
Attributedattributed to
Henry Fuseli
(Swiss, active England, 1741 - 1825)
Formerformerly attributed to
William Blake
(British, 1757 - 1827)
ClassificationsDRAWINGS
Daten.d.
Mediumpen
Dimensions11 3/4 × 15 3/4 in. (29.8 × 40 cm.)
mat: 22 × 16 in. (55.9 × 40.6 cm.)
InscribedInscribed in lower right in ink: W. Blake 17[cut off] [over a very light pencil inscription, perhaps: W. S.]
Inscribed in lower left in pencil: Blake / 1779
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
Status
Not on viewFuseli closely based his Hercules on one of the two athletes (sometimes identified as the Dioscuri, or Castor and Pollux) from the ancient sculpture called the Horse Tamers on the Quirinal Hill in Rome, a work Fuseli greatly admired. He presents Hercules foreshortened as if seen from below, his recipe for creating a sense of “Grandeur” in art.
(Eccentric Visions, 2015)
Object number000.61
Terms
