About this artwork
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione was a painter, printmaker, and draftsman who studied under Anthony van Dyck and Giovanni Andrea de Ferrari. He was known as a specialist in the depiction of animals, and the various creatures on the right of this etching show his dexterity. Circe, the daughter of the sun in Greek mythology, was a sorceress known for her ability to transform men into animals. In Homer’s Odyssey, Circe invites Ulysses and his men to a feast. During the meal, she drugs the men and turns them into pigs. Some art historians argue that because the animals in this etching are not pigs, the subject is actually the pensive figure of Melancholy, made famous by a 1514 Albrecht Dürer engraving.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione
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Title
- Circe with Companions of Ulysses Changed into Animals
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Place
- Italy (Artist's nationality:)
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Date
- Made 1650–1651
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Medium
- Etching on ivory laid paper
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Dimensions
- Image/sheet; cut within plate: 21.5 × 30.9 cm (8 1/2 × 12 3/16 in.)
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Credit Line
- Prints and Drawings Purchase Fund
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Reference Number
- 1939.314
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/30481/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.