This website presents our knowledge and research on this important aspect of the Royal Collection. As of April 2026 it will not be regularly updated and new research on this topic will sit within the main website.

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Mythology & Putti

Mythology & Putti

      Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion

      c.1516-7

      Chiaroscuro woodcut, from two blocks, in pale yellow | RCIN 851854

      A chiaroscuro woodcut after a design the authorship of which is disputed. Some scholars support the traditional attribution to Raphael (Oberhuber/Gnann 1999), while others have suggested that the composition may be based on a drawing by Giulio Romano related to the frescoes illustrating the 'Labours of Hercules' in the Sala dei Cavalli in the Palazzo Te, Mantua (Raphael Invenit 1985). The decoration of the room was designed by Giulio and executed by Rinaldo Mantovano and Benedetto Pagni between 1527 and 1528.
      • Added to the Prince Consort's Raphael Collection (c.1853-76)

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