Map of the Heavens by Johann Bode: Vorstellung Der Gestirne (Presentation of the Stars), Hercules, Framed

Hercules kneels among the stars, club raised overhead, a flowering branch in his other hand.

This map of the heavens, framed, is Vorstelling Der Gestirne (Presentation of the Stars), Hercules, by Johann Bode, published by Lange in Leipzig, Germany, and dated 1782. It is a hand colored engraving on paper. Bode was a leading German astronomer of his day, and his star atlas brought the classical constellation figures to a broad public. The hero is drawn in flesh tones with a red loincloth, scattered with gilt stars, and a lyre floats beside him to the left. A cream mat and an ornate gold frame surround it. It is 22 inches wide and 21 high.

Even on his knees, he looks ready for another labor.