Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey is the story of the hero Odysseus’ long voyage home from the Trojan War, which was full of trials, shipwrecks and monsters. Among his many challenges, Odysseus had to outwit the cannibal Laestrygonians, kill the Cyclops Polyphemus and defeat the sorceress Circe. When he returned home after ten years, Odysseus found his faithful wife Penelope besieged by suitors who wanted to take the throne. Using a special bow, Odysseus shot all his rivals at the festival of Apollo and reclaimed his wife and throne.
The English artist John Flaxman travelled to Rome in 1787, at a time when Europe was concerned with all things classical. There he developed the style of outline drawing that he used to illustrate the works of Homer. His engravings for the IliadԻOdyssey were popular and published widely. When this volume was published in 1805, the British were sailing the oceans looking for new lands to add to their empire and the story of Odysseus, the hero who travelled the high seas, would have held great appeal.
