Hercules and Omphale
by ROMANELLI, Giovanni Francesco, Oil on canvas, 100 x 133 cm
The subject of the painting was taken from the Biblotheca by Apollodoros. The mythological story depicted in the painting is the following.
For murdering his friend Iphitus in a fit of madness Hercules was sold as a slave to Omphale, queen of Lydia, for three years (Apollodorus 2.6:3). But she soon alleviated his lot by making him her lover. While in her service he grew effeminate, wearing women’s clothes and adornments, and spinning yarn.
Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 8 minutes):
Camille Saint-Saens: Le rouet d’Omphale (Omphale’s Spinning Wheel), symphonic poem op. 31