This statue is one of the twelve depicting
The Labors of Hercules that Vincenzo dei Rossi, a follower of
Michelangelo, was commissioned to make for the Palazzo Vecchio
in Florence. The statue conveys tremendous force which is contained
in a very compact design.
The eighth task assigned to Hercules was to bring back to Eurystheus
the man eating mares of Diomedes. Diomedes, the son of Ares the
war god, was king of the Bistones in Thrace. The four mares which
he owned were chained to their troughs where they fed upon human
flesh. The powerful Hercules took them and drove them to the
sea for embarkation. However, he was delayed in his plans when
the king aroused his people to attack and return the mares. Hercules
routed the attackers, vanquished the evil king and fed him to
the mares who then became quite tame. For more
information, go here:
The Twelve labors of Hercules |
