Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion

An etching reproducing, in reverse, a composition known through a chiaroscuro woodcut by Nicoló Vicentino (see RCINs 851846 and 851847 for it). The print credits Raphael as the designer at lower right. Laid down on a sheet with various annotations, including the initials of Peter Visher at lower right (Lugt 2116), whose collector's mark is visible at lower left (Lugt 2115). This print was not included in Ruland's Raphael Collection catalogue (1876). Another impression of this plate at RCIN 851848.

The authorship of the design is a matter of dispute, with some scholars supporting the traditional attribution to Raphael (Oberhuber/Gnann 1999), and others suggesting that the composition may derive from a drawing by Giulio Romano related to the fresco of the same subject in the Sala dei Cavalli in the Palazzo Te, Mantua, part of a cycle illustrating the ‘Labours of Hercules’ (Raphael Invenit 1985). The decoration of the room was designed by Giulio, and executed by Rinaldo Mantovano and Benedetto Pagni between 1527 and 1528.

A first state impression of the chiaroscuro woodcut by Vicentino at RCIN 851846; a second state at RCIN 851847.