When Cardinal Rospigliosi—the future Pope Clement IX—commissioned Choice of Hercules from Nicolas Poussin in 1636, he was not simply seeking decoration, but a painted lesson in virtue for his Roman villa. The subject, drawn from the ancient Greek moralist Xenophon, was a favorite among humanists for its clear allegory: the young hero Hercules, confronted by the seductive call of Pleasure and the stern path of Virtue. Poussin’s version would become the most influential rendering of this theme in seventeenth-century Europe, inspiring later artists and even philosophers to meditate on the nature of moral choice. At the heart of the painting, the adolescent Hercules stands at a crossroads, literally and morally, as two women approach him from either side.

On his right, Virtue gestures upward toward a steep, sunlit path, her arm extended in earnest appeal; on his left, Pleasure, draped in soft fabrics, points toward a shady, flower-strewn lane, promising ease and delight. Hercules’ body twists between them, his gaze uncertain, capturing the very instant of decision. The lion skin at his feet alludes to his earlier triumphs, while the distant temple atop the hill signals the rewards of virtue.

Unlike Annibale Carracci’s more sensual treatment of the same myth, Poussin’s figures are statuesque, their gestures clear and deliberate, echoing the moral clarity of the story. The painting’s journey mirrors the intellectual currents of its time: after gracing Rospigliosi’s collection, it passed through several hands before entering the Spanish royal collections, where it has remained ever since. Its presence in Madrid reflects the taste for moral allegory and classical learning that defined the Baroque courts of Europe. For Poussin, Choice of Hercules marked a high point in his Roman period, synthesizing the lessons of antiquity with the clarity of French classicism.

Today, it hangs in the Museo del Prado, a testament to the enduring power of myth and the artist’s lifelong devotion to the art of storytelling.