Artwork Information

Although this has been described as Man with club, fighting off dogs, in fact it represents one of the twelve labours of Hercules, in which he descends into the underworld to capture Cerberus, the three headed dog that guarded the entrance to Hades. Although a number of artists depict Hercules with an upraised club, the tale states that he caught it by the throat until it weakened and yielded to him. (Monsters and Maidens, 2004)