Hercules Driving Envy from the Temple of the Muses

1522–24

Hercules Driving Envy from the Temple of the Muses, 1522–24. Ugo da Carpi (Italian, c. 1479–c. 1532), after Balthasar Peruzzi (Italian, 1481–1536). Chiaroscuro woodcut (in black and gray); sheet: 29.5 x 22.5 cm (11 5/8 x 8 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Ralph King 1925.443 The term chiaroscuro combines the Italian words chiaro (light) and scuro (dark). Invented to emulate drawings with light and dark pigments on tinted paper, the printing technique uses multiple woodblocks to layer different tones of color. Here, Ugo da Carpi—the progenitor of the chiaroscuro woodcut in Italy—used two blocks in black and gray on a beige paper.

In this allegory, not linked to a particular myth, Hercules applies his brute force in the service of art and knowledge. Pointing toward the archway, Apollo banishes the vice of Avarice from the Temple of the Muses. A personification of greed, Avarice carries a hoard of treasure in her arms as Hercules, a character of virtuous strength, chases her out. Apollo sits next to the war goddess Athena, identified by her helmet, shield, and spear. Here she represents wisdom, and fulfills a civilizing role as patroness of the arts. There are two versions of the Hercules Driving Envy from the Temple of the Muses composition. The CMA chiaroscuro woodcut corresponds to version B, in which figures are modeled using less cross-hatching and more highlights in tone blocks.