SPRANGER, Bartholomaeus
(b. 1546, Antwerpen, d. 1611, Praha)

Hercules and Omphale

1585-90
Pen and ink and wash, white lead, black chalk on paper, 242 x 197 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

This drawing, carried out by Bartholomaeus Spranger during his extensive stay at the court of Emperor Rudolf II of Habsburg in Prague, depicts Hercules enslaved by the mythical queen of Lydia Omphale, who wears the pelt of the Nemean lion and brandishes a club as she forces the hero to twist the wool while dressed in women's clothing.

The drawing was possibly drafted as a preparatory study for a painting of the same subject by the artist in 1585 which is currently displayed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.