Circe Giving Drink to the Companions of Ulysses

1544

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a woman in a long robe handing cups to men who are turning into pigs. This print was made by carving two wood blocks—one for the lines, one for the shadows—and printing them in layers. The artist copied a drawing by Parmigianino, a painter known for elegant, stretched-out figures. Later, another printer added his own mark to the corner. To see more prints built from layered shadows, look up chiaroscuro.