HeraclesOmphale1.0018

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), "Hercules and Omphale" (1601-1607), oil on canvas; Paris, Louvre, inv. 854.

The queen of Lydia, Omphale, has purchased Hercules, whose thralldom to her will expiate his murder of Iole's brother Iphitus. In this picture by Rubens, the queen totally controls the once-invincible hero — not only tweaking his ear as a school-yard bully, but assuming the posture of the wearied hero familiar from the Farnese Hercules. Omphale has fully acquired the hero's chief phallic attributes, his club and his Nemean Lion hide. Heracles has swapped his mighty club for women's work. And from his own and the attendant's body language the swap seems to be going badly. If this work is proceeding poorly, the hiked-up skirts and cheerful taunting of the queen would suggest that he has been performing his duties in bed as she would bid.