Hercules and Antaeus

The series of drawings showing Hercules and Antaeus, which Gian Domenico Tiepolo executed in his artistic maturity, cannot be related to any known finished works, although James Byam Shaw suggested that they might have been inspired by Domenico's work at the Tiepolo villa at Zianigo (J. Byam Shaw, The Drawings of Domenico Tiepolo, London, 1962, p. 38). The liveliness and vigour of the subject evidently appealed to Domenico, who represented it many times from different angles, although rarely with such visual wit as in the present drawing, where the lion is absorbed in the figures' struggle. Four interpretations of this subject were included in the album of Domenico's drawings, belonging to the Earls Beauchamp, which was sold in these Rooms, 15 June 1965, lots 149-152.