Omphale Mask - Item #262

12 Inches High x 10 Inches Wide x 6.5 Inches Deep Our historic P.P. Caproni and Brother catalogs call this mask Omphale. It may be Omphale, or it may be Hercules, due to the Nemean lion skin worn on the head. Hercules, or Herakles, a hero in Roman and Greek mythology, fought the Nemean lion for his First Labor, and Omphale was the queen of Lydia. The gods sold Hercules to Omphale as punishment for killing his friend Iphitus. During the years of servitude, the two became lovers. Since the myth famously notes that they wore each other's clothes, some artworks depict Omphale with a lion skin and/or a club.  The original work is in the collection of the Louvre and is an ancient marble with some damage. It is possible an artist or the P.P. Caproni and Brother artists sculpted the missing elements and molded the resulting sculpture and created casts.   Artist: Unknown Museum: Louvre Museum Time Period: Ancient Roman, 2nd half of the 5th century B.C.E. 1911 Catalog ID # - 13492   Sources: "B