Homer Dictating
1660/65
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
72.5 × 99 cm (28 9/16 × 38 15/16 in.); Framed: 83.9 × 109.3 × 5.1 cm (33 × 43 × 2 in.)
Classification
painting
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
5304
Art Historical Context
Pier Francesco Mola’s *Homer Dictating*, painted in oil on canvas between 1660 and 1665, captures a timeless moment of classical inspiration. The Italian Baroque artist, active in Rome and known for his luminous landscapes and expressive figures, portrays the blind Greek poet Homer as he recites his epic verses. A young scribe listens intently, his quill poised to record the words, while soft light bathes the scene, emphasizing the transfer of wisdom across generations. This work reflects the 17th-century fascination with antiquity and the enduring power of storytelling. Mola’s fluid brushwor...
About the Artist
Pier Francesco Mola
Pier Francesco Mola (1612–1666) was a Roman Baroque painter celebrated for the lyrical quality of his landscapes and the painterly freedom of his figural work, qualities that set him apart from the more rigorous classicism of some of his contemporaries. Born in Coldrerio in the Swiss canton of Ticino, he spent the greater part of his career in Rome, where he underwent an extensive and eclectic for...