Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)


Hercules at the Crossroads (B. 73; M. 63 II.a; S.M.S. 22), 1498Engraving on laid paper, with High Crown watermark (M. 20), a superb Meder IIa impression (the first, unfinished state survives in two impressions only, in Berlin and Vienna), rich and dark in the shadows, with strong contrasts, plate tone and little to no sign of wear, with thread margins around three sides, the top sheet edge trimmed just above the borderline, framed.sheet 12 11/16 x 8 13/16in (32.3 x 22.3cm)
|The name Hercules at the Crossroads was suggested by Erwin Panofsky. The young Hercules has to choose between a life of Virtue or one of Vice. Two female figures embody the Virtue and the Vice. In the background there are two trees: the tree of the Virtue is covered with leaves, the one of the Vice is dried up. Throughout the composition, Dürer contrasted signs of civilization and wilderness, such as the castle and the mountains in the background.The satyr's head is adorned with the vine, but Hercules, our hero, has chosen Virtue, and is crowned with the laurel.