Artwork
Homer
Homer is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Girolamo Troppa. It dates from 1666 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Classified as a portrait, the work focuses on the depiction of this specific literary figure rather than illustrating a narrative scene from his epics.
Girolamo Troppa's 1666 oil painting portrays the ancient Greek poet Homer as its sole subject. Classified as a portrait, the work focuses on the depiction of this specific literary figure rather than illustrating a narrative scene from his epics. The iconography is centered on the identity of Homer himself, representing the classical author within the tradition of historical portraiture.
The painting serves as a visual homage to the poet, capturing his likeness as understood in the seventeenth century without additional symbolic attributes or complex allegorical elements described in the available records.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, measuring 98 × 72 cm. The handling shows smooth modeling of the figure with subtle transitions between light and shadow, typical of mid-seventeenth-century Roman portraiture. The composition centers on a frontal bust of Homer, rendered with restrained realism and a restrained palette dominated by earth tones. The work’s restrained execution and conservative palette align with the conventions of portraiture in the late Baroque period.
History & Provenance
Girolamo Troppa created the oil painting Homer in 1666. Executed on canvas, the work depicts the ancient poet and measures 980 cm in height by 720 cm in width. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains located.
No further details regarding its original commission, early ownership history, or specific acquisition by the museum are provided in the available records.
Overview
Girolamo Troppa, an Italian painter of the Baroque period, completed the oil painting titled Homer in 1666. Though most of his oeuvre consists of religious subjects, this work portrays the legendary Greek poet. The canvas is part of the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Girolamo Troppa (2 October 1636 – October 1711) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, depicting mainly sacred subjects. A follower of Carlo Maratta, he was active in Rome and Umbria.
