| Hercules Killing the Stymphalian Birds | |
|---|---|
| Italian:Ercole uccide gli uccelli di Stinfalo | |
 | |
| Artist | Albrecht Dürer[1] |
| Year | 1500[2] |
| Dimensions | 87 cm × 110 cm (34 in × 43 in) |
| Location | Germanisches Nationalmuseum,Nuremberg |
Hercules Killing the Stymphalian Birds is a 1500 tempera on canvas painting byAlbrecht Dürer, now kept in theGermanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg.[3]
Dürer's only painting of a mythological subject,Hercules Killing the Stymphalian Birds was probably commissioned forFrederick the Wise for a room in theSchloss Wittenberg, which contains other paintings of theLabours of Hercules.
Hercules, armed with bow and arrow, is ready to shoot at two winged monsters that appear to his right. He occupies the center of the scene. His composition is probably derived from Italian prints, likeHercules and Deianira byAntonio del Pollaiuolo. Even the landscape in the background follows Italian examples, with its dark palette and brilliant reds representing the deadly swamps ofLake Stymphalia.
The monstrous birds,harpies, probably come fromDante's description of harpies as bizarre hybrid creatures.
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