The Forces of Hercules

Etching, 1777, on the cartouche lower left: “Gioco dello /Mezza fazzada/ugnola sopra un Tro/feo con 2 ziogolini che/ spedirono le parti e poi/saltarono fatto da Nico/lotti e non d’altri sotto/il Capo Iseppo Tesso/ L’anno 1777”.

Good example printed on contemporary laid paper, old colors, at lower left an handwritten owership note: “W.R.T. Venice: May 20, 1895”, in good condition.

The plate shows the so-called Forze d’Ercole, a game that took plate on Shrove Thursday during the last week of Carnival.

Le Forze d’Ercole were exercises of adroitness, agility and balance. A planking was set on some barrels (if the game was played on land) or on two flatboats (whether on the water); on such an unstable socket, the athletes had to form human pyramids, reaching sometimes the height of 8 men.

At the base stood 10 / 12 men, called saorna, that is ballast (the "porteurs" of modern circuses), which joined each other carrying wooden poles on their shoulders. A child, called cimiereto was then climbing on top to cut a caper or to perform handsprings (tombolo or impalo).

The pyramids were figuratives or allegorical, between the most famous the following are remembered: "Il Colosso di Rodi" (The Colossus of Rhodes), "La Cassa di Maometto" (Mohammed´s Case), "La Bella Venezia" (Beautiful Venice), "L´Unione" (The Union), "La Verginella" (The Little Virgin) "La Gloria" (The Glory) and "La Fama" (The Fame).

A very rare work.