Circe Changing Ulysses' Men into Beasts

Castiglione employs delicate line work and nuanced shading to model figures and foliage, creating a sense of depth on the flat paper surface. The etching’s intricate textures and careful handling of light reveal the artist’s mastery of printmaking, while his attention to anatomical detail reflects the Baroque interest in realism and movement.

Created during the mid‑17th century, the print was produced at a time when Castiglione was renowned for his innovations in print techniques, including the development of monotyping. Though originally circulated among collectors of mythological prints, the work later entered museum collections, where it is cited as a representative example of his narrative prints.

Castiglione, also known as Il Grechetto in Italy and Le Benédette in France, worked within the Genoese school, which blended local traditions with broader Italian Baroque currents. His oeuvre frequently juxtaposed pastoral scenes with mythic subjects, and this etching continues that dialogue by merging a classical tale with a vivid natural environment.