This marble “Lansdowne Hercules” statue was excavated from the villa retreat of Roman Emperor Hadrian in 1790. This youthful sculpture of Hercules after killing the Greek mythological Nemean lion was carved in 125 A.D. When J. Paul Getty acquired it in 1951, it became one of his favorite pieces among his extensive collection of Roman and Greek antiquities. It is now displayed in a special room called the Temple of Herakles at the Getty Villa.
