Heracles and the Lion of Nemea is a lekythos which is held at the Louvre Museum, with the representation of the first of the labours of Hercules, the slaying of the Nemean lion. It is coming from Athens, dated around 500 – 450 BCE203102, Paris, Musee du Louvre, MNB909
The Beazley Archive, accessed 27 November 2016. and it was bought for Louvre Museum at 1870. It was probably created from the shop of a Tanagran artist. According to

Beazley Beazley is a surname, and may refer to * Charles Raymond Beazley, British historian * Christopher Beazley, British politician * David M. Beazley, American software engineer * John Beazley, British classical scholar * Kim Beazley, current Australi ...

and Haspels it is attributed to the

Diosphos Painter The Diosphos Painter was an Athenian Attic black-figure vase painter thought to have been active from 500–475 BCE, many of whose surviving works are on lekythoi. The Diosphos Painter was a pupil of the Edinburgh Painter, who also trained the ...

Description

The painting of the lekythos presents Hercules naked, on his knee, struggling with the Nemean lion. He has caught the lion from the head and is smothering it with his arms while he has tied his fists. The image is framed by a tree with foliage and fruit. The garment of Hercules is hanging from a branch, while his sword and belt are hanging from another.

References

Further references

* Flaceliere, R., Devambez, P., Heracles, Images & Recits (Paris, 1966) * Haspels, C., Attic Black-figured Lekythoi (Paris, 1936) * Kurtz, D., Athenian White Lekythoi (Oxford, 1975): PL.58.2 * Lissarrague, F. et al. (eds.), Ceramique et peinture Grecques, Modes d'emploi, Actes du colloque internat., Ecole du Louvre, April 1995 (Paris, 1999): 185 * Lissarrague, F., Greek Vases, The Athenians and their Images (2001): 163 * Perrot, G., Chipiez, C., Histoire de l'art dans l'antiquite, vols. IX-X (Paris, 1911–14): X, 691 {{Authority control Individual ancient Greek vases Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities in the Louvre Lions in art Paintings depicting Heracles