No. A14074

Rare cast iron umbrella stand depicting the baby Hercules wrestling with the snake that the jealous Hera sent to destroy the child.

Hercules was born the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, Alkemene.  Hera, the wife of Zeus, was so enraged by this act of infidelity that she sent two poisonous serpents to kill the eight month old child while he slept. 

The child Hercules strangled the serpents, much to Hera’s dismay, and went on to become one of the greatest heroes of Greek mythology. 

This umbrella stand is shown in “Cast-Iron Furniture and All Other Forms of Iron Furniture” by Georg Himmelheber (plate #317)

Made by Sheffield, Edwin & Theophilus Smith, 1866.

• Origin English
• Circa Mid 19th c.
• Material Cast Iron
• Height 32 1/2 in
• Width 18 3/4 in
• Depth 9 1/2 in