The original of the Farnese Hercules was created by Lysippos, the leading Greek sculptor associated with its lost bronze prototype.
The surviving Farnese Hercules is not the original Greek statue. It is a colossal Roman marble version, made in the early third century AD and signed by Glykon. The lost Greek original was a fourth-century BC bronze attributed to Lysippos or his workshop. The Roman copy stood in the Baths of Caracalla, dedicated in AD 216, before its discovery in Rome in 1546.
The figure shows Hercules resting after his labours, leaning on a club covered with the Nemean lion’s skin. He conceals the golden apples of the Hesperides behind his back. Its enormous musculature and weary pose helped make it one of antiquity’s most influential images of heroic strength.
A common mix-up is to name Glykon as the creator. Glykon made the famous surviving Roman copy; Lysippos is credited with the original Greek composition. The statue is now in Naples, while many ancient and modern versions preserve its famous type.