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Lot 208Y

Samuel Shelley
(British, 1750/6-1808)
'Omphale assuming the Lion Skin of Hercules'

19 February 2008, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £384 inc. premium

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Samuel Shelley (British, 1750/6-1808)

'Omphale assuming the Lion Skin of Hercules'.
Signed on the reverse and inscribed Omphale,/ assuming the Hercules/ painted by S: Shelley/ 6 George Street, original moulded ormolu frame set in a later gilded wood frame.
Rectangular, 106mm (4 3/16in) high
Exhibited: Royal Academy, London, 1797, no.1052

Footnotes

Omphale was a daughter of the river Iardanus and queen of the kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor. Doing penance for his murder of Iphitus, the legendary hero Heracles/Hercules was forced to work as a slave in her household. Since it is said that Omphale carried Hercules' club and donned the skin of the Nemean Lion (as she is seen doing here), while he himself wore her clothing and assisted with weaving and spinning, it is tempting to view this essentially comic episode as an early example of gender inversion in popular story-telling.

Additional information