Farnese Hercules

Farnese Hercules.
Gigantic ancient marble statue of Hercules leaning sideways on his club and resting after his labours; it is said to have been discovered in the Baths of Caracalla in Rome in 1546, is first certainly recorded in 1556, in the Farnese collection, and is now in the Archaeological Museum in Naples. The statue is signed by an Athenian sculptor named Glycon and is a copy of a lost original of the 4th century bc, probably by Lysippus. From virtually the time of its discovery the figure was much admired and copied; its powerful musculature and realistic surface treatment were particularly influential on Baroque artists.