Hercules and Omphale (c1700). Giovanni Battista Foggini, Italy (1652-1725). Foggini trained at the Florentine Academy in Rome from 1673-76, and was appointed Grand Ducal Sculptor in Florence before eventually rising to the title of First Architect. Hercules and Omphale is a distinct example of baroque-style sculpture and reveals the influence of Roman sculptor Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini. The Greek hero Hercules is depicted undertaking penance for the crime of murder. Attempting to purify himself, he offered himself as a slave and was bought by the Lydian Queen Omphale who set him to work performing women’s tasks. Here his extended hands would originally have held spinning tools. Omphale sits beside him wearing his cloak from the Nemean Lion and his club as signs of her dominance. Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane.