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The struggle between Ulysses and the beggar Irus

Maker

(artist)
1606-1669

After
(artist)
1504-1570

Title

The struggle between Ulysses and the beggar Irus

Medium

Pen and brown ink with brown wash over graphite on laid paper, laid down on a historic secondary support, also laid paper, likely a former album page

Dimensions

Height: 19.9 cm
Width: 31.6 cm

Accession Number

D.1948.XX.21.17.2

Mode of Acquisition

Unknown, gift, 1948

Credit

Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords




Provenance

James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford and 9th Earl of Balcarres (1847-1913) [his bookplate on inside cover]; by descent to David Alexander Robert Lindsay, 28th Earl of Crawford and 11th Earl of Balcarres (1900-1975); by whom presented to The Courtauld, 13 August 1948

Literature

Béguin, Sylvie, Jean Guillaume and Alan Roy, La galerie d’Ulysse à Fontainebleau, Paris, 1985
p. 281, under no. 37

Inscriptions

Watermark: none. Support (historic), Verso: left centre: small crowned shield containing fleur-de-lis.

Inscription: Recto: lower right, brown ink: ADM [in monogram] / TvT 37; lower margin, brown ink: Un mendiant, qu’on appelloit Irus, s’estant voulu joüuër à Ulÿysse est par luÿy battu à outrance, et traisné devant la porte / de sa maison. cCecy preuve fort bien, ce me semble, qQue ce n’est pas à des gens de neant à s’attaquer / à_ des personnes de condition, et qu’il ne faut point toucher un Lion, quelque erndormÿ qu’il paroisse. [A beggar called Irus, wishing to play pick a fight with Ulysses, is furiously beaten by him and dragged to the door of his house. That forcefully proves, it seems to me, that it is not for the low-born to attack persons of consequence, and that one should never touch a lion, even one who appears to have fallen asleep.]; historic support, verso: upper left corner, graphite: i.

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