Bowl or Wine Cooler with the Labors of Hercules

(Italian (Ferrarese/Venetian School), early 16th Century)
circa 1505
Cast bronze with dark brown patination

This bowl is a Renaissance variation of the wine krater of classical antiquity. It is decorated with garlands, grotesques and scenes from the labors of Hercules. These details deliberately recall the decadent splendor of ancient Rome. Bronze was very expensive and the decorations are specific in their antique references. This implies that the bowl was owned by a wealthy humanist patron.