Why it matters
Hercules sits between two women who represent the opposite destinies life could hold for him; Virtue calls him to the hardest path. Cardinal Odoardo Farnese commissioned it for the ceiling of his camerino in the family palace.
Did you know?
- It dates from 1596.
- It was moved to Parma in 1662.
- It shows the influence of the Sistine Chapel and the Farnese Hercules.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Choice of Hercules (Carracci) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
