2Hercules and Cacus – Bandinelli

This work by Florentine artist Baccio Bandinelli (1525–1534) was commissioned to accompany Michelangelo’s David, which was commissioned by the republican council of Florence, led by Piero Soderini, to commemorate the Medici’s defeat.

The colossus (height: 5.05 m) was originally given to the Medici family to complement the David, but Michelangelo adopted it as a symbol of his newly acquired power upon his return from exile in 1512, and again in 1530.