A chiaroscuro (meaning ‘light-dark’) woodcut requires two to four separate wooden blocks. Each is inked in a different shade and printed one over the other to produce a dramatic three dimensional effect. For this print, Hendrick Goltzius used three blocks inked in black, green and ochre. He created white highlights by leaving areas of paper unprinted. The classical scene is based on The Aeneid by the Roman poet, Virgil 70 – 19 BC. Good triumphs over evil, as the hero Hercules raises his knotted club ready to slay the fire breathing villain Cacus