Circe reikt Odysseus de gifbeker 1580

Lucas Mayer made this print depicting Circe offering a poisoned cup to Odysseus around the late 16th century. In this image, Mayer depicts a classical myth, one that would have been familiar to audiences at the time through literature, theater, and other visual art. By depicting Odysseus in this scene, Mayer taps into a larger cultural narrative around warfare and the dangers that await soldiers in foreign lands. Odysseus is a clear hero-figure, and this is signalled by his status as a soldier, and Circe’s status as a nude woman making the offering. Prints like this, and others that dealt with classical and biblical stories, offer a rich field for historical inquiry because they show how artists and institutions selected, adapted, and repurposed stories to fit their own cultural and political contexts. We can learn more about the values and beliefs of the time by looking at how artists like Mayer chose to represent these stories.