Ulysses and His Companions Fighting the Cicones Before the City of Ismaros, Study for a Destroyed Fresco in the Galerie d'Ulysee, Chateau de Fontainebleau 1555 - 1560

This red chalk drawing by Francesco Primaticcio is a study for a fresco that was commissioned for the Galerie d'Ulysee at the Chateau de Fontainebleau. The scene depicts Ulysses and his companions fighting the Cicones, a battle that took place before the Trojan War in Homer's Odyssey. Primaticcio's drawing captures the energy of the scene, with the figures of the soldiers in dynamic poses, their bodies rendered with a sense of weight and motion. It is an example of the artist's masterful use of line, which he used to create a sense of depth and volume. This work is an important example of the Italian influence on French art in the 16th century.