Melian Plaque Depicting Odysseus Returning to Penelope in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sept. 2007

Terracotta plaque, ca. 460–450 B.C.; Classical
Greek, Melian
Terracotta; Overall: 7 3/8 x 10 15/16in. (18.7 x 27.8cm)
Fletcher Fund, 1930 (30.11.9)

After years of trial and adventure, as recounted in Homer's "Odyssey," Odysseus returned to his native Ithaka. He found his wife Penelope harassed by suitors who had taken over his palace and were consuming his wealth. Odysseus made his entrance in the guise of a beggar. Here, he is shown approaching the disconsolate Penelope, as the faithful members of his household - his father Laertes, his son Telemachos, and the swineherd Eumaios - look on.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/viewOne.asp?dep=13&vie...