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ARTIST: Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)
TITLE: Hercules Conquering the Molionide Twins (B.127, K. 99, T.95, M.238, P.347, H.238), c.1580
MEDIUM: Original Woodcut
IMAGE SIZE: 15 ½" x 11" (39.37cm x 27.94cm)
SHEET SIZE: 16 ¾" x 11 ½" (42.55cm x 29.21cm)
FRAMED SIZE: 32" x 27 ¼" (81.28cm x 69.22cm)
SIGNATURE: The artist's monogrammed initials and date are engraved in the plate in the lower center in addition to an engraved name plate, 'ERCULES' in the upper center.
EDITION: A Meder State II (b) impression, dating the work to c. 1580.
CONDITION: This piece is in good condition.
PRICE: $8,500

DISCUSSION:
Hercules Conquering the Molionide Twins was Dürer's only woodcut of a mythological theme and it confounded scholars for a long time. According to Walter L. Strauss:
According to legend, the bodies of the twin sons of Molione: Eurytsu and Kteatus, were joined and their combined bodily strength exceeded that of any human. Hercules is wearing a boar's skin because this event occurred before the slaying of the Nemean lion who is shown in the background.

Created in c. 1580, this work features Albrecht Dürer's monogrammed initials in the woodblock in the lower center. Considered a Meder, State II (b) impression.

CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ & COA: It is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work):
1. Boon, Karel G. & Robert W. Scheller. The Graphic Art of Albrecht Dürer, Hans Dürer, and The Dürer School, Amsterdam, 1971. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 238 on pg. 193.
2. Holzschnitte & Holzschnittfolgen. Albrecht Dürer - Das Druckgraphische Werk, Band I, New York, 2002. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 105 on pgs. 45-8.
3. Kurth, Willi (ed.) The Complete Woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer, Dover Publications, Inc.: New York, 1963. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 99 and detailed on pg. 19.
4. Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog, Vienna, 1932. Listed as catalogue raisonné no. 238 on pg. 198-9.
5. Pawlak, Manfred, et. al. Albrecht Dürer, 1471 bis 1528. Listed and illustrated on pgs. 1756-7.
6. Strauss, Walter L., ed. Albrecht Dürer - Woodcuts and Woodblocks, New York, 1980. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 32 on pgs. 129-31.

ABOUT THE FRAMING:
Framed in museum-quality, archival materials, this work is set in a Spanish style bronze and gold-leaf frame. The muted tones of the moulding compliment the black, outer frame and also highlights the tones and textures of the highly detailed etching. Hercules Conquering the Molionide Twins is completed with white, linen-wrapped mats and a matching gold inner fillet and finished behind an archival Plexiglas® cover.

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