Keywords: Greek - Herakles as a Child - Walters 541002.jpg This small bronze statuette depicts a young boy holding a club which he rests upon his shoulder His nude body is somewhat chubby and has the proportions of a young child His right hand is outstretched and he may have once held something perhaps an adversary or an animal Striding to the left his weight rests upon his left leg while his right foot barely touches the ground His hair is short and curly held in place with a band Although we tend to think of Herakles as an archetypal hero fully grown and muscular he is often represented as an infant or a child The club an attribute used in his deeds confirms his identity Herakles was unique among Greek heroes for having performed extraordinary deeds as an infant strangling the snakes sent by Hera Here his weapon and active pose again suggest that this is no ordinary child; instead he is imbued with the extraordinary strength of a hero Copy AD 1st century; Original 332-30 BC Hellenistic cast bronze cm 12 3 8 4 5 ; Base cm 2 5 8 3 4 5 accession number 54 1002 10902 Henry Walters Baltimore date and mode of acquisition unknown Walters Art Museum Henry Walters Acquired by Henry Walters Heroes Mortals and Myths in Ancient Greece The Walters Art Museum Baltimore; Frist Center for the Visual Arts Nashville; San Diego Museum Of Art San Diego; Alexander S Onassis Public Benefit Foundation USA New York 2009-2011 Undercover Stories in Art The Walters Art Gallery Baltimore 1980 place of origin Roman Empire Walters Art Museum license Ancient Roman sculptures in the Walters Art Museum Ancient Greek sculptures in the Walters Art Museum Art from Greece Media contributed by the Walters Art Museum needs artist review Heracles as a child Hercules in ancient Roman art Statues of Heracles |