Hercules with Omphale

Hercules with Omphale

Title

Hercules with Omphale

[Statens Museum for Kunst, revised 2013]

Painting on beech wood

Medium

Painting on beech wood

[Klein, Report 2013]

Hercules with Omphale shown against a dark background with the coat-of-arms of Albrecht of Brandenburg.

[see Exhib. Cat. Hamburg 2003, no. 76]

Attributions
Lucas Cranach the Elder
Lucas Cranach the Younger

Attributions

Lucas Cranach the Elder

[Statens Museum for Kunst, revised 2013]

Lucas Cranach the Younger

[Schade, Exhib. Cat. Hamburg 2003, 181, Nr. 76]

Production date
1535

Production date

1535

[dated]

Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 82.0 x 118.0 cm

Dimensions

  • Dimensions of support: 82.0 x 118.0 cm

  • Dimensions including frame: 105.8 x 141.5 cm

  • [Statens Museum for Kunst, revised 2013]

Signature / Dating

Artist's insignia at the left: winged serpent with dropped wings facing right and dated '1535'; in yellow paint

Signature / Dating

  • Artist's insignia at the left: winged serpent with dropped wings facing right and dated '1535'; in yellow paint

  • [Statens Museum for Kunst, revised 2013]

Inscriptions and Labels

At the top left: - insciption: 'HERCVLEIS MANIBVS DANT LYDAE PENSA PVELLAE [/] IMPERIVM DOMINAE FERT DEVS ILLE …

Inscriptions and Labels

Inscriptions, Badges:

  • At the top left:

    • insciption: 'HERCVLEIS MANIBVS DANT LYDAE PENSA PVELLAE [/] IMPERIVM DOMINAE FERT DEVS ILLE SVAE [/] [...]C ECIAM INGENTES ANIMOS INSANA VOLVPTAS [/] ET DOMITO MOLLIS PECTORE FRAGIT AMOR'
    • coat-of-arms of Albrecht of Brandenburg (1490-1545)

  • [see Exhib. Cat. Hamburg 2003, no. 76]

Owner
Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen
Repository
Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen
Location
Copenhagen
CDA ID
DK_SMK_KMSsp727
FR (1978) Nr.
FR274B
Persistent Link
https://lucascranach.org/en/DK_SMK_KMSsp727/

Provenance

  • 1784: Accessed the collection from Christiansborg Møbelkammer
    [Statens Museum for Kunst, revised 2013]

Exhibitions

Stockholm 1988
Copenhagen 2002
Hamburg 2003, No. 76

Literature

Reference on page Catalogue Number Figure / Plate
Tacke 2021 87
AuthorAndreas Tacke
TitleCranach-on-Demand. Zu Wiederholungen in der Malerei
Publicationin Dagmar Täube, ed., Lucas Cranach der Ältere und Hans Kemmer. Meistermaler zwischen Renaissance und Reformation [Lübeck, St. Annen-Museum]
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2021
Pages83-91
Show Literature
Exhib. Cat. Gotha, Kassel 2015 216
EditorJulia Carrasco, Justus Lange, Stiftung Schloss Friedenstein, Gotha, Benjamin D. Spira, Timo Trümper
TitleBild und Botschaft. Cranach im Dienst von Hof und Reformation, [Gotha, Herzogliches Museum; Kassel, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Schloss Wilhelmshöhe]
Place of PublicationHeidelberg
Year of Publication2015
Show Literature
Horký 2015 110, Fn. 40
AuthorMila Horký
TitleVon Schlangen mit 'gesenkten', 'liegenden' und 'aufstehenden' Flügeln. Eine Sichtung der Forschung zu den Signets der Malerfamilie Cranach mit Ausblick
Publicationin Elke A. Werner, Anne Eusterschulte, Gunnar Heydenreich, eds., Lucas Cranach der Jüngere und die Reformation der Bilder
Place of PublicationMunich
Year of Publication2015
Pages106-115
Show Literature
Exhib. Cat. Hamburg 2003 77, 181 76 Pl. 76
EditorBucerius Kunst Forum, Werner Schade
TitleLucas Cranach. Glaube, Mythologie und Moderne [Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg]
Place of PublicationOstfildern-Ruit
Year of Publication2003
Show Literature
Foister 2003 122 63
AuthorSusan Foister
TitleCranachs Mythologien. Quellen und Originalität
Publicationin Heinz Spielmann, Werner Schade, eds., Lucas Cranach. Glaube, Mythologie und Moderne, Exhib. Cat. Hamburg 2003
Place of PublicationOstfildern-Ruit
Year of Publication2003
Pages116-129
Show Literature
Robert 2003 110 76 Fig. 7
AuthorJörg Robert
TitleDie Wahrheit hinter dem Schleier. Lucas Cranachs heidnische Götter und die humanistische Mythenallegorese.
Publicationin Heiz Spielmann, Werner Schade, eds., Lucas Cranach Glaube Mythologie und Maderne , Exhib. Cat. Hamburg 2003
Place of PublicationOstfildern-Ruit
Year of Publication2003
Pages102-115
Show Literature
Exhib. Cat. Copenhagen 2002 55, 56, 57, 69 No. 36 Fig. p. 55
AuthorHanne Kolind Poulsen
TitleCranach [Statens Museum for Kunst , Copenhagen]
Place of PublicationCopenhagen
Year of Publication2002
Show Literature
Exhib. Cat. Schleswig 1997 543 (Vol. 1) No. 170 (Vol. 1) Fig. p. 487
EditorJan Drees, Heinz Spielmann
TitleGottorf im Glanz des Barock. Kunst und Kultur am Schleswiger Hof 1544-1713. Bd. 1: Die Herzöge und ihre Sammlung
Volume1
Place of PublicationSchleswig
Year of Publication1997
Show Literature
Le Bihan 1992 35 Fig. p. 34
AuthorOlivier Le Bihan
TitleLe symbole de la perdrix
JournalL'objet d'art
Issue258 (May)
Year of Publication1992
Pages30-39
Show Literature
Exhib. Cat. Stockholm 1988 69, 70 No. 56 Fig.
EditorNationalmuseum, Stockholm
TitleCranach och den tyska renässancen
Place of PublicationStockholm
Year of Publication1988
Show Literature
Friedländer, Rosenberg 1979 No. 274B
AuthorMax J. Friedländer, Jakob Rosenberg
EditorG. Schwartz
TitleDie Gemälde von Lucas Cranach
Place of PublicationBasel, Boston, Stuttgart
Year of Publication1979
Show Literature
Giesecke 1955 88 Fig. 8
AuthorAlbert Giesecke
TitleWappen, Siegel und signet Lucas Cranachs und seiner Söhne und ihre Bedeutung für die Cranach-Forschung
JournalZeitschrift für Kunstwissenschaft
Issue9
Year of Publication1955
Pages181-192
Show Literature
Friedländer, Rosenberg 1932 under No. 225
AuthorMax J. Friedländer, Jakob Rosenberg
TitleDie Gemälde von Lucas Cranach
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication1932
Link http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/friedlaender1932
Show Literature

Research History / Discussion

'Oddly enough, the serpent has folded wings, hence this may be an early work by Lucas Cranach the Younger'

[Friedländer, Rosenberg 1978, No. 274B]

  • Hercules with Omphale, 1535

Images

Compare images
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Documents

Technical studies

10. 2015Technical examination / Scientific analysis

  • Infrared reflectography
  • irr

Underdrawing

DESCRIPTION

- An underdrawing is not readily visible; thin brushstrokes executed in a fluid medium are visible in some sections as are some minor changes made during the painting process (e. g. the left eye of the woman on the left behind Hercules)

[Sandner, Smith-Contini, Heydenreich, cda 2017]

  • photographed by Gunnar Heydenreich
  • photographed by Ingo Sandner

29.11.2013Scientific analysis

  • Identification of wood species / Dendrochronology

Support

Identification of wood species: beech wood

Youngest annual ring: 1530

[Klein Report, 29.11.2013]

  • analysed by Peter Klein

2013Technical Examination

Support

The support is approx. 23 mm thick and probably oak.

The panel consists of four horizontal planks with horizontal grains.

The back of the panel has visible marks from a hollow chisel and the marks are vertical on the planks and grains.

Three of the planks (the top, bottom and left side) have a 5 mm deep rabbet on the back.

In the upper left corner on the back there are clear marks from the cutting of the wooden planks.

Fibres are glued over the joints on the back of the panel and on top of these fibres eight pieces of canvas (8 cm width) are glued to the back of the panel.

Framing

Unknown whether it is the original

[Mette Kokkenborg, Statens Museum for Kunst, 2013]

  • X-radiography
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  • x_radiograph
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  • created by Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen

Condition Reports

Date01. 1966

  • examined by Ole Alkærsig

Date06.10.1964

Conservation History

Date19.03.2001

  • conservation treatment by Lone Bøgh
  • conservation treatment by Ane Hacke

Versions

Hercules and Omphale
  • Hercules and Omphale, about 1535
  • DE_MSA_12578
  • Painting
  • Museen der Stadt Aschaffenburg
Head of a Woman with a White Bonnet (Omphale?), fragment
  • Head of a Woman with a White Bonnet (Omphale?), fragment, about 1535
  • PRIVATE_NONE-P451
  • Painting
  • Private Collection

Citing from the Cranach Digital Archive

Entry with author
<author's name>, 'Hercules with Omphale', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/DK_SMK_KMSsp727/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})
Entry with no author
'Hercules with Omphale', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document, entry or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/DK_SMK_KMSsp727/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})

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