Illustration to Pope's Odyssey 1793

Tommaso Piroli made this illustration to Pope’s Odyssey using etching, sometime between 1752 and 1824. It depicts a scene from Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey. Piroli was an Italian printmaker who translated classical art and literature into visual form. This print reflects the Neoclassical movement, which looked to ancient Greece and Rome for inspiration. Note the clean lines, the idealized figures, and the focus on moral and civic virtues, echoing the Enlightenment values of reason and order. Italian artists had a long tradition of illustrating classical texts, catering to a market of educated elites who wanted visual interpretations of these stories. The work invites us to consider how classical narratives were repurposed to convey specific messages such as the importance of cunning. To understand this print better, you might research the history of book illustration, the impact of the Grand Tour on artistic tastes, or the political uses of classical imagery. The meaning of art changes according to its social and institutional context.