Circe Giving a Drink to Ulysses's Companions

Art Historical Context

In the enchanting etching *Circe Giving a Drink Ulysses's Companions* (1540–45), Fantuzzi channels the graceful designs of Parmigianino (Girolamo Francesco Mariaola), a leading Mannerist artist known for his elongated figures and elegant distortions. This print captures a pivotal moment from Homer's *Odyssey*, where the sorceress Circe offers a transformative potion to Odysseus's sailors aboard their boat, foreshadowing their metamorphosis into animals. Measuring just 7 3/4 × 8 9/16 inches, the intimate scale invites close viewing, revealing intricate details of men, women, drinking vessels, and nautical elements. Etching, a innovative 16th-century technique involving acid-bitten metal plates, allowed Fantuzzi to reproduce Parmigianino's fluid lines with remarkable precision, making high-art imagery accessible beyond Italy. Mannerism's stylized elegance—seen in the figures' sinuous poses and mythical drama—reflected the era's fascination with classical antiquity amid Renaissance innovation. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this work exemplifies how prints bridged elite patronage and broader audiences, preserving timeless tales of enchantment and adventure.

About the Artist

Antonio Fantuzzi|Parmigianino (Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola) · 1537–1545

**Antonio Fantuzzi** (active 1537–1550) was an Italian painter and printmaker born in Bologna who played a significant role in the First School of Fontainebleau during the French Renaissance. He worked in a Mannerist style, contributing to the lavish decorations of the Palace of Fontainebleau under royal patronage. Fantuzzi is recorded as a painter at Fontainebleau from 1537 onward, initially on ...