Heracles and Antaeus

The story fixed on this tall panel is a wrestling match with a catch to it. The giant Antaeus was the son of the earth goddess, and as long as his feet touched the ground he could not be beaten. He had killed every stranger who dared to wrestle him. Hercules, passing through on his labours, worked out the secret. Rather than pin the giant, he hoisted him clear of the earth and crushed the strength out of him in mid-air. Baldung, a German painter who had trained with Durer, dated the picture 1531 and used the two straining bodies as a chance to study muscle and effort under a cold northern light. He gives you the exact instant Antaeus leaves the ground and his power begins to drain away.