This unconventional “Hercules” currently under restoration in Madrid is the oldest ancestor of Cindy Sherman
The restoration of a painting by Lucas Cranach has just began at the museum Tyhssen Bornemitza in Madrid. The artwork is titled “Hercules at the Court of Omphale”, and it could have been conceived by a contemporary artist interested in anthropology. The protagonist is Hercules, hero of Greek mythology, who in this framework is presented in the rare version of the anti-hero. The popularity of Hercules, in our imagination, is in fact linked to his labor and adventures. In this painting, instead, one of his misfortunes is represented: due to the killing of his friend Iphitus, he was sentenced for three years to be the slave of Queen Omphale.
According to Greek literature, he was forced to be what we would today call a toy boy of the queen (she had three children by him), and to be dressed as a woman, doing female tasks such as spinning and carding wool. From an artistic standpoint we are facing a case of transvestism in ancient art.
July 18, 2015