Hercules Cleaning the Augean Stables on a Roman Bronze Plaque.

The article discusses a Roman bronze plaque located at the Princeton University Art Museum which depicts the mythological character Hercules cleaning Augean stables. The author remarks on the unusual premise for the plaque and the general neglect of this scene of the classical myth in ancient art and literature. A description of the plaque is presented, including information on the portrayal of the proportions of Hercules' body, the pose held by Hercules, and the plaque's depiction of human muscles. The piece is then analyzed in light of the literary and cultural history of the Hercules myth. Topics include ancient Greek perspectives on labor, similarities between the plaque and other ancient bronze sculptures, and the significance of the plaque in the Herculean visual tradition.