Hercules and Antaeus, Antonio del Pollaiuolo
c. 1478
Tempera on wood, 16 x 9 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

Of all the other victories of Hercules, hardly any have appeared in art except the last : the strangling of Antaeus, and the overthrow of Cacus. Antaeus was a noted wrestler and athlete whose strength could not be matched so long as his feet remained

on the earth. But his strength was derived entirely from the ground; when Hercules discovered this, he lifted him by main force, and crushed out his life, holding him high in the air.

Pollajuolo's Hercules and Antaeus in the Uffizi is a specimen of the fierce and savage kind of subject which this artist loved. He enjoyed showing what Symonds calls " a frenzy of murderous enthusiasm." The picture is described by Vasari; but it is thought that the critic has reference to a larger picture which has since disappeared. He tells us of a picture of Hercules strangling Antaeus : " The force employed by him," remarks Vasari, " in crushing his antagonist is clearly apparent, every muscle and nerve of the body being strained to ensure the destruction of his opponent. The teeth, firmly set, are in perfect accord with the expression of the other parts of the figure, all of which, even to the points of the feet on which he raises himself, give manifest imitation of the efforts used. Nor is less care displayed in the figure of Antaeus, who, pressed by the arm of Hercules, is seen to be sinking, and deprived of all power of resistance; his mouth is open; he is breathing his last sigh." This description certainly applies also to the bronze statue in the Bargello, where it is quite evident that Pollajuolo made a sculptural study as well as a painting of this subject.