Part 4 L’antiquité tardive

Hercules and the Cretan bull

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Hercules and the Cretan bull
Date de création
End of the 3rd century
Material
Saint-Béat marble (Haute-Garonne)
Dimensions
H. 49 x l. 48 x P. 20 (cm)
Inventory number
Ra 28 c

The seventh of twelve Labours is set on the island of Crete. Hercules managed to control the furious bull who was terrorising the island by grabbing him by the horns and bringing him back to his cousin Eurystheus.

Although only one identifiable fragment of the original large relief remains, it is of very high quality. Grasping a horn in one hand, Hercules encircles the bull’s neck with his other arm, while the animal’s lolling tongue clearly expresses its impending demise.

P. Capus

Bibliography

  • Cazes et al. 1999 D. Cazes, E. Ugaglia, V. Geneviève, L. Mouysset, J.-C. Arramond, Q. Cazes, Le Musée Saint-Raymond : musée des Antiques de Toulouse, Toulouse-Paris
    .     p. 91
  • Du Mège 1835 A. Du Mège, Description du musée des Antiques de Toulouse, Toulouse
    .     no 165
  • Du Mège 1828 A. Du Mège, Notice des monumens antiques et des objets de sculpture moderne conservés dans le musée de Toulouse, Toulouse
    .     no 77
  • Joulin 1901 L. Joulin, Les établissements gallo-romains de la plaine de Martres-Tolosane, Paris
    .     no 117 B
  • Massendari 2006 J. Massendari, La Haute-Garonne : hormis le Comminges et Toulouse 31/1 (Carte archéologique de la Gaule), Paris
    .     p. 250, fig. 122
  • Rachou 1912 H. Rachou, Catalogue des collections de sculpture et d’épigraphie du musée de Toulouse, Toulouse
    .     no 28 c
  • Roschach 1865 E. Roschach, Catalogue des antiquités et des objets d’art, Toulouse
    .     no 28 h

To cite this notice

Capus P., "Hercules and the Cretan bull", in The sculptures of the roman villa of Chiragan, Toulouse, 2019, online <https://villachiragan.saintraymond.toulouse.fr/en/ark:/87276/a_ra_28_c>.