Circe Giving Drink to the Companions of Ulysses (1540s): Art, History and Details

Circe Giving Drink to the Companions of Ulysses (1540s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Antonio da Trento (Italian, c. 1508–c. 1550); Parmigianino (Italian, 1503–1540).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This print is the second state of a chiaroscuro woodcut by Antonio da Trento after a drawing by Parmigianino. Andrea Andreani added the double A monogram and his address in the lower-left corner. This chiaroscuro woodcut depicts a scene from the Homer's epic poem Odyssey. During his journey back from the Trojan War, Odysseus (or Ulysses) visits the island of Aeaea. There, he meets the sorceress Circe, who changes most of his crew into swine. In this print, the enchantress is offering Ulysses's companions a cup containing a magical potion in order to bring them under her spell.

Object facts

• Title: Circe Giving Drink to the Companions of Ulysses
• Date: 1540s
• Creator attribution: Antonio da Trento (Italian, c. 1508–c. 1550); Parmigianino (Italian, 1503–1540)
• Culture: Italy
• Type: Print
• Technique: chiaroscuro woodcut
• Collection: PR - Chiaroscuro
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1925.1220

A detail from the museum

Parmigianino's drawing, which Antonio da Trento used as a model for his print, was allegedly stolen by da Trento, alongside other examples by Parmigianino.

Collection credit

Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.