Reliëf geflankeerd door Hercules met het Arcadische hert en Hercules met het zwijn van Erymanthus 1713

This is an undated etching by Louis Surugue, currently held in the Rijksmuseum. The print depicts a relief flanked by two scenes of Hercules, rendered in monochrome with meticulous line work. This formal choice emphasizes the allegorical nature of the piece, moving it beyond the purely representational. The composition is structured around the central relief, offering a visual anchor that allows the flanking scenes to play off of it. We see Hercules in dual roles. One is of triumph over the natural world, capturing the Arcadian hind, and the other wrestles with the Erymanthian Boar. The muscular forms of Hercules, executed with precise detail, underscore the classical ideal of heroic strength and virtue. Surugue invites a semiotic reading; the scenes and the relief operate as signs. Together, they communicate complex narratives about power, control, and the imposition of order onto chaos. The monochrome palette strips away the distractions of color, directing our focus to the underlying structures of meaning embedded within the artwork's form.