Arc - Pl. IX from the "L'Odyssee" portfolio

Andre Masson

The loose-leaf portfolio "L'Odyssee" was published by UNESCO World Heritage for the project to save the Acropolis in Athens. The linen-bound clamshell portfolio included 12 images commemorating the rich mythological heritage of Greece. All 12 plates were destroyed after printing in 1978.

Odysseus locked his bow, a gift to him from Iphitos, son of Eurytus, the master of Heracles in archery, in a storeroom before departing for war. During his twenty-year absence from Ithaca, rivalrous suitors pursued Penelope, Queen of Ithaca and wife of Odysseus. Penelope, both cunning and chaste, devised many schemes to delay choosing such a fate.

Unbeknownst to Penelope and the suitors, Odysseus returned to Ithaca disguised as a beggar in time to watch and take part in an archery contest devised by Penelope. She requested arrows, axes, and Odysseus’s bow be brought to her and promised her hand to the man who could shoot an arrow through the handles of the axes and hit the target. The suitors failed the challenge so the beggar requested a chance. Only Odysseus mastered the bow and hit the target.

Masson presents Odysseus with his bow in hand ready to launch the first arrow. His body is partially clad exposing the muscling and strength of his body. With his legs thus exposed, Penelope would certainly have identified Odysseus by the scar on his leg.