This marble statue comes from the garden of one of the largest and most luxurious domus in the city of Herculaneum, the House of the Deer. The statue depicts Hercules in a moment of weakness brought on by drunkenness, as he urinates. The hero appears unsteady and unstable, and his nudity reveals sagging flesh, emphasizing the image of the decadence of Jupiter’s son.
This iconographic type, known as Hercules mingens, is also documented in a bronze example from Pompeii. Widespread throughout the Roman world from the 2nd century BC to the Imperial Age, it derives from Hellenistic models particularly inspired by Greek comic and satirical literature. Other representations of a drunken Hercules are also known, such as the Hercules Bibax, an image that recalls the mythical drinking contest between Dionysus, god of intoxication, and Hercules—a theme found in numerous paintings, sculptures, and mosaics.
These depictions of the wine-loving hero carry an ironic meaning, alluding to the banquet guest himself. The presence of this statuette in the garden—a place of otium and pleasure—was no coincidence: it was strategically placed between two large dining rooms (triclinia), where guests would indulge in the pleasures of the table. Its display also served as a way for the homeowner to flaunt his wealth and his taste for Greek art and culture, which was closely tied to the Roman banquet tradition.