Hercules und Cerberus · Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture

Title: Hercules und Cerberus
Period: 1550-1600;
Geographic: Ancient Greece; Scythia; Athens
Description: In order to poison her stepson Theseus, Medea planned to use a poisonous mixture of aconite. It is suggested that aconite came from the mouth of the three-headed beast named Cerberus, which guarded the Underworld. When Hercules had chained up Cerberus and brought him up from the Underworld, he started foaming at the mouth when he saw daylight, which turned into aconite when it touched the ground. The image illustrates Hercules, presumably fighting off Pluto, god of the Underworld, in order to chain up Cerberus and bring him above ground.
Image Creator: Virgil Solis (Engraver)
Type: Text; Woodcut Engraving
Identifier: mta:22821
Language: ger
Source Name: P. Ouidij Nasonis, deß Sinnreichen und hochverstendigen Poeten, Metamorphoses oder Verwandlung, mit schönen figuren gezieret, auch kurzen Argumenten und außlegungen erkläret, und in Teutsche Reymen gebracht, durch Johann Spreng von Augspurg [Publius Ovidius Naso, the Ingenious and Highly Understandable Poet, Metamorphoses or Transformations, Adorned with Beautiful Images, and also descriptions of Short Arguments and Explanations, Brought into German Rhymes by Johann Spreng of Augsburg]
Parent Collection: 1564 Frankfurt Spreng
Image: mta_22821_OBJ.jpg
Collection: Ovid's Metamorphoses
Subject: Hercules; Roman Mythology; Greek Mythology; Cerberus; Medea