Achilles Discovered Among the Daughters of Lycomedes - Pietro del Po

A detailed Baroque engraving depicting the moment Odysseus reveals Achilles, who is disguised among the daughters of King Lycomedes.

This engraving depicts a classical mythological scene from the life of Achilles. According to the legend, Thetis hid her son Achilles on the island of Scyros, disguised as a woman among the daughters of King Lycomedes, to prevent him from joining the Trojan War. Odysseus, suspecting his presence, arrived at the palace disguised as a merchant. He presented a chest of goods to the women, including jewellery and fine fabrics, but also concealed a sword and shield. While the daughters were distracted by the trinkets, Achilles revealed his true nature by instinctively reaching for the weaponry.

Pietro del Po, a Sicilian painter and printmaker active in Rome, captures this moment of revelation with characteristic Baroque precision. The composition is structured around the central interaction between the disguised hero and the merchant. The figures are arranged in a theatrical manner, typical of the period, with drapery rendered through fine, controlled lines that define the volume of the garments. The background features a classical architectural element on the left and a wooded area on the right, providing a sense of depth to the scene.

The print demonstrates the technical skill of the artist in translating complex narrative themes into a monochromatic medium. The use of cross-hatching and varied line weights creates a range of tones, from the soft textures of the clothing to the harder surfaces of the armour and the stone pedestal. This work reflects the interest in classical antiquity that defined much of the seventeenth-century Roman art scene, where artists frequently drew upon Ovid and Homer for their subject matter. The clarity of the narrative and the balanced arrangement of the figures demonstrate the influence of the Bolognese school, which del Po encountered during his career.