Pietro Aquila (1630-1692) after da un soggetto di Annibale Carracci - Ercole in riposo (dal Camerino Farnese)

Rare and fascinating baroque engraving by the renowned Sicilian master engraver Pietro Aquila. The work reproduces in mirror view the famous fresco painted by Annibale Carracci on the ceiling of the Camerino of the Farnese Palace in Rome between 1595 and 1597.

The scene shows a monumental and thoughtful Hercules (Alcides), caught in a moment of rest after his legendary labors. The hero sits on the rock covered by the pelt of the Nemean Lion; beside him are finely depicted the trophies of his feats: the Sphinx on the left, Cerberus’s three heads, and the Cervine Deer of Cerinea laid out in the center.

At the bottom, the work bears the Latin inscription on three columns: “Hic, qui dura sedet, porrecto saxa leone...”, followed by the editorial credits that unite Carracci’s inventio with Aquila’s execution, printed in Rome under the direction of Giovanni Giacomo De Rossi. A sheet of strong visual and collecting impact, superb testament to Farnese classicism.

Condition: Good • Clear impression, well inked and contrasted. The sheet presents broad margins intact beyond the plate line, a sign of optimal conservation out of the frame. Very slight and natural browning of time at the outer edges, which does not in the least affect the quality of the figurative part. No invasive restoration or tears.
As shown in the images