Flight of Meriones, with Dead Coeranos Being Dragged from the Chariot

Art Historical Context

This dynamic drawing captures a dramatic moment from Homer’s Iliad, showing the Cretan warrior Meriones in flight as the body of the slain charioteer Coeranos trails behind his chariot. Created after designs by Giulio Romano, a leading Mannerist artist and pupil of Raphael, the sheet reflects the Renaissance fascination with classical epic and heroic narrative. Although dated to the fifteenth century, the composition echoes the vigorous storytelling and muscular figures that characterized Giulio’s own work in the following century. Executed in pen and brown ink with delicate washes over graphite, the drawing demonstrates the Renaissance practice of using fluid line and tonal shading to suggest movement and spatial depth on paper. The corners have been trimmed, hinting at its possible use as a study or modello passed among artists and collectors. Such works allowed viewers to appreciate the inventive energy of large-scale fresco or tapestry projects in a more intimate format. Housed at the National Gallery of Art as a gift honoring its fiftieth anniversary, this sheet offers modern visitors a vivid glimpse into how Renaissance artists reimagined ancient Greek tales through the expressive possibilities of drawing.