Herakles and the Cretan Bull

This gem depicts the hero Herakles carrying the Cretan Bull over his shoulder (the seventh of his Labors). Herakles strides powerfully, supporting the foreleg of the bull with one arm. Beneath a thin groundline, the gem bears the signature of its maker, Moschos. He is otherwise unknown, but around thirty artists are known from a similar number of gems bearing tiny signatures in Greek. The gem is set in a modern collector’s swivel ring.