Hercules met de appels van de Hesperiden 1679 - 1728

This is an engraving of Hercules with the apples of the Hesperides, made by Jean-Baptiste de Poilly, a French printmaker active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. De Poilly’s representation of Hercules, a figure celebrated for his strength, is laden with cultural and historical meaning. Hercules is shown having completed one of his twelve labors: retrieving the golden apples while outsmarting Ladon, the dragon guarding them. The idealized male form is celebrated here, while the dragon is vanquished. What does it mean to portray a man of this stature, and to center this narrative? The print glorifies a specific kind of masculinity, one that emphasizes physical prowess and domination. It invites us to consider the stories we tell about heroism and the values they uphold, and to reflect on what it means to be cast as a ‘hero’ or a ‘monster’ within these cultural narratives.