The Companions of Ulysses Opening the Bag of Winds Artist: Theodore van Thulden (Flemish, 1606–1669)
After: Francesco Primaticcio (Italian, 1504–1570)

ca. 1632

Prints and Drawings

By appointment, Duffy Study Room

Theodoor van Thulden was trained in Antwerp, and his early Mannerist style was reinforced by his journey to the French royal palace at Fontainebleau, where he made drawings after the frescoes by the Italian Francesco Primaticcio, chief artist for King Francis I. This drawing is from a set of preparatory studies for prints that record Primaticcio's frescoes in the Gallery of Ulysses (subsequently destroyed) at the palace. It depicts the ill fortune that befell Ulysses and his crew during their homeward journey. Ulysses had been given a bag of winds by the god Aeolus, and these winds had filled the sails of Ulysses' ships. When Ulysses decided to sleep after nine restless days of navigating the ship, however, his greedy companions opened the bag. The drawing illustrates the chaos of the ships as the storm winds escaped the bag.

Medium

Black chalk

Dimensions

Sheet: 21.5 × 33 cm (8 7/16 × 13in.)
Framed: 39.37 × 52.07 cm (15 1/2 × 20 1/2in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Anne-Marie Logan

Accession Number

1997.45.2.2

Geography

Made in Flanders

Culture

Flemish

Period

17th century

Classification

Drawings

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Herbert Feist, 1973; Sale, Phillips New York, 8 June 1983, lot 50
Bibliography
  • Suzanne Boorsch and John J. Marciari, Master Drawings from the Yale University Art Gallery, exh. cat. (New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Art Gallery, 2006), 14, 15, 142–45, 249, no. 44a, ill.
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States

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