Why it matters
Maddened by the poisoned tunic of the centaur Nessus, Hercules hurls the young herald Lichas, who unknowingly brought it to him, into the air. Canova's dramatic group took twenty years to complete.
Did you know?
- It was carved between 1795 and 1815.
- It was commissioned by Onorato Gaetani, but abandoned during the French invasion of Naples.
- The banker Giovanni Torlonia bought it in 1800.
Based on the Italian Wikipedia article Ercole e Lica (CC BY-SA 4.0).
