Plate 8: Ulysses receiving the winds in a leather bag from Aeolus
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 16 in. × 7 5/8 in. (40.6 × 19.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1962
Accession Number
62.602.525(3)
Art Historical Context
This 1756 etching and engraving captures a pivotal moment from Homer’s Odyssey: Ulysses receiving the winds in a leather bag from Aeolus, the keeper of the winds. The scene illustrates the hero’s brief good fortune as he prepares to sail home to Ithaca, only to face later misfortune when the bag is opened. Created as Plate 8 in a series, the print translates a classical literary episode into a detailed visual narrative for an eighteenth-century audience fascinated by ancient myths. The work reflects the collaborative printmaking practices of the period, with contributions from Giampietro Zano...
About the Artist
Giampietro Zanotti|Domenico Maria Fratta|Pellegrino Tibaldi|Bartolomeo Crivellari (Italian|Italian| ) · 1700 |1701 | –1800 |1782 |
Italian, active 18th century|Italian, Bologna 1701/15–1782 Bologna|