Hercules

Hercules, according to an ancient myth, served as a slave to Queen Omphale. The fact of the tough hero who falls prey to the whims of a woman inspired many artists. The moral of the story: love is dangerous. GrecoRoman antiquity was a rich source of inspiration in the 17th century, also for Rubens's pupil and friend Lucas Faydherbe, the dominant figure in Mechelen's sculptures at the time. Faydherbe masterfully explains Rubensian innovation and the rise of the Baroque style. These sculptures have a special artistic value: they bear witness to a ripe sense of monumentality, they are a beautiful rendition of a humanistic culture and the associated knowledge and they display a powerful, highly baroque and personal style.