Hercules representing the King of Portugal sits on the Hydra of Lerna
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2024-02-09T15:37:03+01:00
Bibliothèque nationale de France, public domain
Bibliothèque nationale de France, public domain
Hercule representant le Roy de Portugal terrasse l’Hydre de Lerne…, engraving, 1759, artist: de Montalais; source: gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France, https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84094378.r=Montalais%20Hercule?rk=21459;2, public domain.
This print from 1759 depicts the heroic figure of the Portugese king José I in the guise of Hercules, tamer of monsters, as he crushes the multiple heads of the hydra, each of them wearing a Jesuit cap. The female personification of Portugal kisses the hand of the hero for having expelled the Jesuits from the lands of Portugal.
Hercule representant le Roy de Portugal terrasse l’Hydre de Lerne…, engraving, 1759, artist: de Montalais; source: gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France, https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84094378.r=Montalais%20Hercule?rk=21459;2, public domain.