This work depicts a scene from the Odyssey. Odysseus (also known as Ulysses) stands on his ship and mocks Polyphemus, a cyclops he blinded; Polyphemus resides on the left side of the work, blending into the mountain. Other faint and subtle details include the Trojan Horse incident from the Aeneid depicted on one of the flags and the horses of Apollo rising above the horizon. The painting was first exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, and was acquired by the National Gallery in 1856.