Monte Circeo at Sunset c. 1780s

John Robert Cozens captured Monte Circeo at sunset in this watercolor. Rising majestically from the Tyrrhenian Sea, Monte Circeo has been steeped in myth since antiquity. It is most famously known as the home of Circe, the sorceress from Homer’s Odyssey. Circe’s presence is palpable even now. The mountain, silhouetted against the fading sun, evokes a sense of mystery. In Homer's tale, Circe used her knowledge of herbs and potions to transform Odysseus's men into swine. This act is not merely one of cruelty, but speaks to the primal fear of transformation and loss of identity. The setting sun is a symbol that transcends cultures, representing not only the end of a day but also the transient nature of life itself. From the Egyptian sun god Ra to the Greek Helios, the sun’s journey across the sky mirrors our own lives, a cyclical narrative of birth, death, and rebirth. Circe, in her domain, embodies this cycle, luring sailors to her island only to alter their very essence, trapping them in an eternal, transformative stasis.