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1589

The Great Hercules

Hendrick Goltzius

Dutch (active Haarlem), 1558 - 1617

In mythology, Hercules performed dozens of heroic deeds, and his heroism came to epitomize the victory of good over evil. Citizens of the Netherlands identified closely with the demigod, seeing themselves as engaged in a Herculean struggle against Spain for control of the Low Countries.

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Hendrick Goltzius, The Great Hercules, 1589 | Philadelphia Museum of Art