Odysseus Takes Counsel with Teiresias. From Homer´s Odyssey

The painting Odysseus Takes Counsel with Teiresias was created in 1809 by Nicolai Abildgaard. It is an oil on canvas work measuring 44 cm in height and 52 cm in width, depicting a mythological scene from Homer's Odyssey. The artwork belongs to the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display.

The painting is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Denmark, as recorded in its Wikidata entry. No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources.

No exhibition history is documented in the available sources.

Nicolai Abildgaard's 1809 oil painting Odysseus Takes Counsel with Teiresias, housed at the Statens Museum for Kunst, exemplifies the neoclassical fascination with mythological narratives rendered through rigorous composition and chiaroscuro. Art historians highlight its synthesis of Homeric text and Enlightenment-era moral philosophy, positioning it within Abildgaard's broader exploration of classical themes that prefigure later Romantic reinterpretations of antiquity. The work's reception in early 19th-century Copenhagen underscored its technical ambition and thematic gravitas, influencing contemporary discourse on narrative painting.

Its enduring scholarly attention reflects ongoing debates about the interplay between literary source material and visual abstraction in Northern European art.

Nicolai Abildgaard's 1809 oil painting Odysseus Takes Counsel with Teiresias, housed in the Statens Museum for Kunst, has been recognized as a significant contribution to mythological painting in Scandinavian art. Its depiction of a pivotal moment from Homer's Odyssey has inspired scholarly discussion on the visual interpretation of classical narratives in Northern European art, though its influence on later artistic movements remains limited compared to more widely reproduced mythological subjects.

Nicolai Abildgaard’s 1809 oil painting Odysseus Takes Counsel with Teiresias portrays the Homeric hero seeking guidance from the blind prophet in the underworld. Executed in a restrained neoclassical idiom, the work measures the dramatic encounter in a dimly lit interior, emphasizing the solemnity of the consultation.