Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

The Iliad of Homer, The Odyssey of Homer, Compositions from The Tragedies of Aeschylus, and The Theogony, Works and Days of Hesiod

1795–1817
Not on view
Before he arrived in Rome in 1787, Flaxman exhibited portraits and classical subjects in terracotta and plaster in London, and designed decorative reliefs for Josiah Wedgwood. During the seven years he spent in Italy, the sculptor developed a striking new style of outline drawing to illustrate famous poetic works by Homer and Aeschylus for private patrons, and the images were then engraved and published in Italy, France and Britain. Contemporaries saw these images as strikingly primitive, echoing the style of Greek vase painting, and well suited to archaic poetic subjects. Flaxman prefered to represent figures in profile, based furniture and costume on ancient sources, and used the open expanses of white paper to great psychological effect.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Iliad of Homer, The Odyssey of Homer, Compositions from The Tragedies of Aeschylus, and The Theogony, Works and Days of Hesiod
  • Artist: After John Flaxman (British, York 1755–1826 London)
  • Engraver: Tommaso Piroli (Italian, Rome 1752–1824 Rome)
  • Engraver: William Blake (British, London 1757–1827 London)
  • Engraver: James Parker (British, London 1750–1805 London)
  • Engraver: James Neagle (British, London 1765–1822 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
  • Publisher: Robert Harding Evans (British, 1778–1857) , London
  • Publisher: John and Arthur Arch (London)
  • Publisher: Jane Matthews (London)
  • Publisher: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown
  • Publisher: William Miller (British, 1769–1844)
  • Subject of book: Homer (Greek, active 13th or 8th century BCE)
  • Subject of book: Aeschylus (Greek, ca. 525 BCE–ca. 455 BCE Gela, Sicily)
  • Subject of book: Hesiod (Greek, active ca. 700 BCE)
  • Published in: London
  • Date: 1795–1817
  • Medium: Illustrations: line engraving and stipple engraving (Hesiod only)
  • Dimensions: Book: 11 3/16 × 17 5/8 × 2 5/16 in. (28.4 × 44.7 × 5.8 cm)
    Plate: 7 11/16 x 10 1/4 in. (19.5 x 26.1 cm)
  • Classification: Books
  • Credit Line: Gift of Harvey Smith, 1977
  • Object Number: 1977.595.53
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
Ulysses at the Table of Circe (The Odyssey of Homer), John Flaxman British, Line engraving
Ulysses at the Table of Circe (The Odyssey of Homer)
Multiple artists/makers
1805
Harquebusier's Armor of Pedro II, King of Portugal (reigned 1683–1706) with Buff Coat, Richard Holden British, Steel, gold, leather, textile, British, London; buff coat, European
Harquebusier's Armor of Pedro II, King of Portugal (reigned 1683–1706) with Buff Coat
Armorer Armor attributed to Richard Holden
Armorer Helmet cheek pieces and metal plates on shoulder straps made by Daniel Tachaux
ca. 1683 and later; buff coat, 17th–18th century
The Preparation for War, Anonymous, French French, Stipple engraving with line engraving and etching
The Preparation for War
Anonymous, French
Possibly by Pierre Paul Prud'hon
Barthélemy Joseph Fulcran Roger
ca. 1800
The grammar of ornament, Owen Jones British, Chromolithography
The grammar of ornament
Author Owen Jones
Illustrator Francis Bedford
Publisher Day & Son, Ltd., London
1856
Zephyr, Pierre Paul Prud'hon French, Stipple engraving with line engraving and etching; third state of four
Zephyr
After Pierre Paul Prud'hon
Jean Nicolas Laugier
1864

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.