Hercules at the Crossroads (Jealousy)

"Hercules at the Crossroads (Jealousy)" by Albrecht Dürer German, 1471-1528, is a pivotal early work demonstrating the artist's mastery of Renaissance printmaking techniques. Executed as an engraving in black on off-white laid paper, the piece is generally dated to the decade between 1493 and 1503, a crucial period during which Dürer intensely studied and refined his graphic style following his early travels. The complex composition requires the precise linear control characteristic of engraving, allowing the artist to render detailed elements, including musculature, drapery, and dense foliage, with remarkable depth and texture. This classification as a print places it within a highly influential body of work that established Dürer’s international reputation across Germany and Central Europe.

The subject illustrates the classical allegory of the Choice of Hercules, where the mythological hero is caught between two paths represented by female personifications: Virtue and Vice, or Pleasure. Dürer’s specific interpretation, sometimes titled Hercules at the Crossroads (Jealousy), is dense with classical references, reflecting the increasing importance of humanist themes within German art of the late fifteenth century. The figures are rendered dynamically, forcing the viewer to confront the moral dilemma inherent in the story. This impressive example of early German Renaissance printmaking is preserved in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a foundational work by the master, this piece is frequently studied, and high-resolution prints of the work are widely available today, often distributed through public domain art initiatives.