An etching reproducing, in reverse, a composition known through a chiaroscuro woodcut by Nicoló Vicentino (see RCINs 851846 and 851847 for it). Lettered at lower right with attribution of the design to Raphael; the letters 'BIN' are annotated in black ink. Another impression of this plate at RCIN 851849.

The authorship of the design is a matter of dispute, with some scholars supporting the traditional attribution to Raphael (Oberhuber/Gnann 1999), and others suggesting that the composition may derive from a drawing by Giulio Romano related to the fresco of the same subject in the Sala dei Cavalli in the Palazzo Te, Mantua, part of a cycle illustrating the Labours of Hercules (Raphael Invenit 1985). The decoration of the room was designed by Giulio, and executed by Rinaldo Mantovano and Benedetto Pagni between 1527 and 1528.

A first state impression of the chiaroscuro by Vicentino at RCIN 851846; a second state at RCIN 851847.