While other uncouth figures fought with their clubs, animal skins appealed to a different group, as John Godward’s beauties draped their bodies on them.
Hercules
That well-muscled man brandishing a large olive-wood club and wearing a lion-skin can only be the ultimate high-testosterone uncouth hero, Hercules.
How a maidservant brings a protracted labour to a successful conclusion, the origin of the Milky Way, and an infant who strangles serpents for fun.
How a centaur tried to abduct Hercules’ new bride, and the delayed revenge which led to the death of Hercules.
This wonderful late oil sketch by Rubens shows a man walking his dog on a Mediterranean beach. It tells a fascinating story of an ancient industry, and the dress of the most wealthy and privileged few.
A puzzling painting of a lone woman, wrestling with inner turmoil; a trap laid by a dying Centaur; a king with a thing for Hercules, and his promotion to being a saint.
The Eclectic Light Company 