Gabriel Salmon

Gabriel Salmon was an active printmaker in the early sixteenth century, documented as working between 1500 and 1523. Fifteen of his prints are known to be represented in major North American museum collections, affirming his role within the history of Renaissance-era engraving. These works are held by prestigious institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Salmon’s known body of work centers primarily on classical mythology, specifically focusing on the cycles related to the heroic feats of Hercules. Notable examples held in collections include the engravings Hercules Fighting the Sons of Proteus, Hercules Carrying Off the Cattle of Geryon, and Hercules and Antaeus. Further works delineate the narrative structure of the Labors, such as Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion, from the Labors of Hercules and Hercules Killing the Lernean Hydra, from Scenes from the Life of Hercules.

As artifacts from the early sixteenth century, many of Gabriel Salmon prints reside in the public domain. This status often facilitates the availability of high-quality prints and downloadable artwork for historical study and appreciation.