The delicate plaques in this case belong to a distinctive class of objects from the Greek island of Melos. The top two depict scenes from the story of Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s Odyssey. As you may know, Odysseus left his home and family to fight in the Trojan War. The Odyssey describes his return home after years of hardship and adventure.

In the middle plaque, Odysseus appears on the right, disguised as a beggar; he wanted to hide his identity until he was prepared to reclaim control of his household. He leans in to take the arm of his faithful wife, Penelope. She is bent with grief, and doesn’t recognize her long-lost husband. Behind Penelope stands their son Telemachos; behind Telemachos is an old man leaning on a staff—Odysseus’ father Laertes. Sitting on the ground is the good swineherd Eumaios, one of the last to remain loyal to Odysseus in his absence, and one of the first to welcome him home.

The plaque above shows the next chapter of the story. Penelope invites Odysseus, whom she thinks is a total stranger, into her home in keeping with the Greek custom of offering hospitality to strangers. Penelope stands on the right between the columns of the palace with Telemachos beside her. Odysseus is sitting on the left side, stretching out his foot for a kneeling servant to wash in a basin on the floor. The servant is Eurykleia, his old nurse, who cared for him as a baby. When she looks at his feet to wash them, she sees a scar she recognizes—the beggar is Odysseus. She drops his foot in surprise. Penelope may be raising her hand to her face in response to the splash.

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