Fight between Ulysses and Irus
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed to platemark): 42.4 × 32.9 cm (16 3/4 × 13 in.)
Classification
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268597
Art Historical Context
In the grand tradition of classical storytelling, Jan Harmensz. Muller's *Fight between Ulysses and Ir* (1589) captures a dramatic episode from Homer's *Odyssey*. Here, the disguised hero Ulysses (Odysseus) clashes with beggar Irus at the palace of Penelope, a moment of raw physicality amid the epic's tension-filled homecoming. Muller's engraving, housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, measures an imposing 42.4 × 32.9 cm, its trimmed sheet showcasing the intricate details of muscular forms and dynamic poses. As a leading Dutch engraver of the late 16th centur...
About the Artist
Jan Harmensz. Muller · 1571–1628
Comment on works: Printer and Draughtsman