Hermes Ordering Calypso to Release Odysseus

c. 1670

Gerard de Lairesse

(Flemish, 1641–1711)

Culture

Netherlands

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

Framed: 118.5 x 140 x 9 cm (46 5/8 x 55 1/8 x 3 9/16 in.); Unframed: 91.4 x 113.7 cm (36 x 44 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1992.2

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Location

215 French, German, and Dutch

Did You Know?

Calypso, reclining on her bed, looks at us with the same charming smile she used on Odysseus.

Description

The Greek goddess Calypso held the hero Odysseus captive for seven years, preventing his return home from the Trojan War. Despite Calypso’s charms and the luxurious surroundings, Odysseus longed for his home and family, so the Olympian gods finally allowed his freedom. Here, the god Hermes swoops down to free Odysseus from Calypso’s embrace. De Lairesse, popularly known as the “Dutch Poussin,” introduced to the Netherlands a classicizing style influenced by artists of the French Academy.