HeraclesOmphaleANCIENT

HeraclesOmphaleANCIENT_Vatican

OGCMA, s.v. "Heracles and Omphale"

3rd-century AD full-length sculpture of a Roman woman depicted as Omphale; Vatican Museums, Gregorio Profano Museo

The queen of Lydia, Omphale, has purchased Heracles, whose thralldom to her will expiate his murder of Iole's brother Iphitus.

Omphale is readily recognizable by her holding Heracles' club and wearing the Nemean Lionskin. The historical identity of the posing woman is not known. The work is roughly datable by its hairstyle.

Not listed in LIMC (Boardman);

but see Bianchi-Bandinelli, Roma;

and now Cancik-Lindemaier, Hildegard. 1985. “Der Mythos der Cassia Priscilla: zur römischen Religionsgeschichte im 2. Jh. n. Chr.” In Faszination des Mythos: Studien zu antiken und modernen Interpetationen, ed. by Renate Schlesier. Basel und Frankfurt am Main: Stroemfeld/Roter Stern. Pages 215-16.

OGCMA slides are designed by Roger T. Macfarlane for use in Classical Civilization 241 courses at Brigham Young University.
The present resource contains information assembled for The Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts, 1300 - 1990's, edited by J. Davidson Reid (Oxford 1994), and it is used with express permission from Oxford University press.
Address concerns or inquiries to macfarlane@byu.edu.