Hercules Separates Mounts Calpe and Abylla

Hercules Separates Mounts Calpe and Abylla
Spanish: Hércules separa los montes Calpe y Abyla
Artist	Francisco de Zurbarán
Year	1634
Medium	oil on canvas
Dimensions	136 cm × 167 cm (54 in × 66 in)
Location	Museo del Prado, Madrid

Hercules Separates Mounts Calpe and Abylla is a work by Francisco de Zurbarán, created in 1634.

Description

The painting measures 136 × 167 centimeters. It is in the collection of the Museo del Prado.^[1]

Analysis

The painting shows Hercules. He separates the two mountains Calpe and Abyla, also known as Pillars of Hercules.

This also shows how Hercules is only using his fists and no other weapons to separate Mounts Calpe and Abylla

It is included in a 10 works series about the Labors of Hercules commanded by Philip IV of Spain for the Hall of Realms of the Buen Retiro Palace. The series is now conserved in the Museo del Prado.

References

1. "Hercules separates Mounts Calpe and Abylla – The Collection – Museo Nacional del Prado". www.museodelprado.es. Retrieved 12 July 2016.

Bibliography

• Juan Antonio Gaya Nuño and Tiziana Frati, La obra Pictórica de Zurbarán, Planeta, Barcelona, 1988, ISBN 84-320-2866-5 pp. 131–132.
• Blocked. (2025). Blogspot.com. https://gibraltar-intro.blogspot.com/2015/10/bc-pillars-of-hercules-if-ordinary.html