Art, literature & history
The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Dragging Cerberus from the Underworld
1545
- Dating
- Exact year
- Held at
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Medium
- engraving
- Collection no.
- 1950.461
- Attribution
- By the artist
- Image rights
- CC0 1.0License details
Sebald Beham. The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Dragging Cerberus from the Underworld. The Cleveland Museum of Art. CC0 1.0. Compressed full-frame reproduction.
Collection: The Cleveland Museum of Art
About this artwork
The Labors of Hercules: Hercules Dragging Cerberus from the Underworld — Sebald Beham. 1545.
Medium: engraving. Dimensions: .
Collection record: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.
Hercules descended into Hades, the underworld, to bring back Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guards the entrance. Pluto, god of the underworld, agreed to let Hercules take Cerberus as long as he used no weapons. In this version of the scene, Hercules has abanded his club and shield in favor of three leashes to drag Cerberus from the inferno.
Beham was one of several German printmakers referred to today as the “Little Masters.” They established their artistic prowess by engraving remarkably small prints, appealing to collectors fascinated with miniature objects and curiosities.
Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.
Location checked Sep 10, 2026. This does not indicate whether the work is on display.