Trojans Repelling the Greeks

The episode represented in this detailed engraving is taken from Book 14 of Homer’s Iliad. The horses and chariot of Poseidon and his broken trident appear in the waves in the lower left corner. The heroic nude in the foreground wielding a long sword may be identified as Poseidon himself. The warrior lying on the ground beneath him, protected by a comrade, could be the Trojan prince Hector, struck down by a stone soon after Poseidon entered the battle. Scultori was inspired by ancient marble reliefs, both for some of the details of the ships as well as for the densely packed frieze-like composition. The muscular and dramatically gestured figure style is indebted to Michelangelo.