Prometheus and Herakles
A twisting naked figure of Prometheus hangs near the centre of the panel against a mountainous background, his hands manacled to the rocks above. His mouth is open, screaming in pain, as he looks with a distressed, emotional expression towards Herakles, his liberator. Zeus had meted out a terrible punishment to Prometheus for giving fire to man: he was tied to the Caucasus mountains and had his liver pecked out daily by an eagle. Herakles has shot the eagle and is undoing the first mannacle from Prometheus' left hand. Herakles is naked except for a lionskin worn as combined cap and cloak, and his club lies below, across the lower right corner. At the lower left, the body of the dead eagle, shot by Herakles, is slumped over the rocks. A small mountain nymph, holding a throwing stick, appears among the rocks above the eagle. This is a highly effective hellenistic-style pictorial composition.
Prometheus and Herakles
A twisting naked figure of Prometheus hangs near the centre of the panel against a mountainous background, his hands manacled to the rocks above. His mouth is open, screaming in pain, as he looks with a distressed, emotional expression towards Herakles, his liberator. Zeus had meted out a terrible punishment to Prometheus for giving fire to man: he was tied to the Caucasus mountains and had his liver pecked out daily by an eagle. Herakles has shot the eagle and is undoing the first mannacle from Prometheus' left hand. Herakles is naked except for a lionskin worn as combined cap and cloak, and his club lies below, across the lower right corner. At the lower left, the body of the dead eagle, shot by Herakles, is slumped over the rocks. A small mountain nymph, holding a throwing stick, appears among the rocks above the eagle. This is a highly effective hellenistic-style pictorial composition.