Polyclitus the Statue of Hercules Can Be

Polyclitus The statue of Hercules can be studied at two different levels. Working backwards we must consider that which antiquity has left us to study. In this case, it is the statue of Hercules as it is preserved for us. It is the work of an unknown roman sculptor carved in marble. The balance and harmony in the piece is quite remarkable and is a great tribute to the artisanship of the Greeks. It no doubt must have involved great time and physical labor.

The Romans of that period (circa 125 AD) were very much into a neoclassical representation of Greek work as they believed the Greeks to be of a highly developed artistic nature and the Romans were eager to capture some of that golden age of the arts in their own time so as validate their own virtues. The statue may have even been worked on by a team of sculptors.

The fact that the statue is referred to as the Lansdowne Herakles (named after the collector) reflects in the use of the Greek "Herakles" that the real genius of the work did indeed lie with the Greek, in this case said to be Polyclitus from the high classical period in the 300s BC. Polyclitus is considered to be one of the six finest, if not the finest sculptor of the Greek period. The design of the statue reflects the fascination that the Greeks had for mathematical formulas.

They believed that like the Golden Mean in architecture, a formula could be achieved that one could use to create the perfect visual form. Herakles is a fitting subject as he tread in both worlds -- that of the divine and the human. He was not of perfect temperament, nor the wisest of the ancient heroes, but much admired for his amazing strength and the endurance he showed in making up for his sins of anger with his 12 labors.

In the sculpture he is shown with the hide of the Nemean lion which he slayed as one of his earliest labors. Herakles, as the perfect physical specimen, had the qualities of a god in mortal form. Polyclitus was said to have been familiar with, if not a student of the great mathematician Pythagorus who developed many of the geometrical formulas still utilized today. Through his cerebral work, Polyclitus believed he could create the perfect visual embodiment.

He wanted his sculpture to be viewed from the front, a greater challenge than in profile, as depth from that perspective becomes a much more difficult challenge. Polyclitus was said to have worked almost exclusively in bronze. However, none of his work remains for our inspection today, nor does his book Canon and the Idea of Symmetria which was the first book known, explaining the elements of sculpture.

The book was used by artists following Polyclitus and was considered the "most renown text of its kind." (about.com) There are references to the text in other works.