Ulysses and Circe - Roman school, first half of the 17th century

Roman school of the first half of the 17th century. Pen, brown ink and gray wash on paper.
In the space of a single sheet, we are told the story of Ulysses and Circe. Having landed on the island of Aea, the famous Greek hero sends his captain Eurylochus and a few companions to reconnoiter. Seeing a magnificent palace on their way, they decide to enter, with the exception of their suspicious captain. The mistress of the house, Circe, welcomes them with a rich banquet. The sailors gladly accept, but as soon as they've eaten, their host transforms them into animals with a simple wave of her wand. Here we see them drawn as men with stag, bull or lion heads, while one last unfortunate is about to be transformed as well! Having witnessed this act of sorcery, Eurylochus goes off to warn Ulysses, who remains on the boat to the left of the composition. Driven by the desire to save his men, the King of Ithaca is powerless to stop this magic. However, Hermes, descending from heaven to the trireme, intercedes on his behalf, entrusting him with a secret plant that will enable him to counteract the effects of the witch's evil brew. Now immune, the Homeric hero rescues his companions and finally marries Circe.
Our drawing features (bottom right) a collector's mark identified at Lugt as L.712.


At a time when the boundaries of the natural sciences were still vague, scholars of the Modern Era were fascinated by the occult sciences, such as alchemy, which was practiced until the 18th century. The witches' sabbaths and alchemists' cabinets painted by northern artists reflect this interest in the occult. Better suited to our artist's southern sensibility, the legend of Ulysses and Circe offers him the opportunity to multiply esoteric symbols, such as this book open to obscure symbols, these transformed men or this mirror with its hallucinatory reflection. With his lively yet precise pen-and-ink drawings, he delivers a complete story in a limited format. Although numerous, the details do not appear overabundant, thanks to the division of the composition into different shades of wash. Thus, Hermes and Ulysses interact in a light distance, while a stronger gray is used to draw attention to the metamorphoses in the foreground. Although little represented in the history of art, this theme attracted the attention of artists who lived in Rome, such as Antonio Tempesta, who engraved it in 1606, and Stradanus, who drew it in 1577. The baroque composition of this drawing, combined with the theatricality of the figures, allows us to situate our artist within the Roman school of the early 17th century.


Our drawing is presented under passe-partout and anti-reflective glass in a Bérain-style frame.
Dimensions: 13.5 x 19.5 cm - 32.5 x 38.5 cm with frame.


Bibliography :
- GRIMAL, Pierre, Dictionnaire de mythologie grecque et romaine, Paris, PUF, 1999.
- PETRIOLI TOFANI, Annamaria, Le dessin: formes, techniques, significations, Instituto Bancario San Paolo Di Torino, 1979.
- ROSENBERG Pierre, Les dessins de la collection Mariette, écoles italiennes et espagnoles, Paris, Somogy Editions, 2019.
- SCIOLLA, Gianni Carlo, Le dessin: collections publiques italiennes, Istituto Bancario San Paolo di Torino, 1994.