Hercules and Cerberus 

Curator: Look at this compelling bronze! This is Giambologna's sculpture, "Hercules and Cerberus", housed right here at the Walters Art Museum. Editor: My first impression is just sheer force, you know? The way Hercules dominates Cerberus, there's an undeniable tension in the piece. It looks quite dark. Curator: Absolutely. Giambologna, master of Mannerism, excelled at capturing dynamic movement and emotional intensity. Think about the bronze casting process itself—the intense heat, the meticulous labor of creating the mold. These bronzes were prestige items. Editor: Prestige, indeed! Cerberus, of course, is the multi-headed dog guarding the gates of the Underworld. Hercules' capture of him is one of his famous twelve labors, representing overcoming death and fear. It is amazing what a collection of signs these bronze statues could offer in this mythological context. Curator: Exactly. What's fascinating here is how Giambologna used bronze to emphasize the muscularity and exertion. Bronze as material, like metal itself, had particular societal values, where people gave labor to extracting it from Earth. And those laborers left fingerprints on these metal forms, to an extent, when they made art like this. It shows the raw, material engagement involved in Herculean feats, and reminds us of human making. Editor: The gaze averted, you know? He avoids looking directly at Cerberus or, for that matter, at us. It amplifies this sense of burden, the weight of his task, the symbolism of courage as a response to fear embodied. Even if it looks muscular. Curator: That averted gaze definitely channels a psychological intensity, amplified by his knowledge of material and form in production. But notice, the surface treatment on the bronze brings so much contrast. The metal’s materiality can give the face and hair an incredibly life-like effect and emphasizes a connection to ancient myth! Editor: I see that. This really speaks to the enduring power of symbols. Mythology becomes something material in a new culture as bronze in form! Thank you for taking a closer look with me. Curator: It has been a pleasure seeing it with you, and finding different layers to its making and symbolism!