The Twelve Labors of Heracles

The Girdle of Hippolyte

For his ninth labor, Heracles was to steal the girdle of Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons, the tribe of female warriors, and bring it back for Eurystheus’ daughter Admete. Hippolyte received Heracles with friendship and intended to give him the girdle freely, but this easy transaction angered the ever jealous Hera. To make things much more difficult for the hero, Hera disguised herself as an Amazon and spread the rumor that Heracles was planning to capture Hippolyte. Outraged, the Amazons attacked Heracles, and he was forced to kill the queen and snatch the girdle from her dead body in order to deliver it to Eurystheus.

Detail 1

Detail 2

60 cm x 100 cm
oil on canvas
2009