
A painter at the court of Lorraine, Gabriel Salmon is best known today for his woodcuts of the mythological labors of Hercules. Salmon emphasized the violent action of this rarely depicted scene with the sweeping lines around the figure of the demigod. The woman reaches toward Hercules’ crotch, while one of the satyrs fondles her breast and the other raises his shield against Hercules’ swinging club. The satyrs’ impending doom is foreshadowed by the already-vanquished figure on the ground.

The Labors of Hercules: Hercules on the Pyre
Gabriel Salmon French, active 1504-1542

Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion, from the Labors of Hercules
Gabriel Salmon French, active 1504-1542

The Labors of Hercules: Bringing Cerberus from the Lower World
Gabriel Salmon French, active 1504-1542

The Labors of Hercules: Hercules and Antaeus
Gabriel Salmon French, active 1504-1542