Terracotta hydria: kalpis (water jar)

Nausicaä Painter

ca. 460–450 BCE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

The infant Herakles strangling snakes sent by the goddess Hera Herakles, the greatest of the Greek heroes, was one of twins conceived in a night when Alkmene, the wife of Amphitryon, was visited by both her husband and the god Zeus. Angered by his infidelity, Zeus's wife, Hera, tried to kill the infant Herakles with snakes. Here the child strangles them in the presence of his parents and Athena, his protective goddess.

Artist

Nausicaä Painter

Date

ca. 460–450 BCE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek, Attic

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1925