Palamedes Discovers Ulysses Not to Be Insane. A.M.2806.

This is one of a group of drawings by British artist and book illustrator Edward Francis Burney, depicting scenes from Greek and Roman history and mythology. This composition was used for a headpiece in 'Le Souvenir', a memorandum book published by Suttaby, Evance, Fox, Richardson/London in 1822, on the page for 1st May. Palamedes, the son of Naupilius and Clymene, was a hero of the Trojan War and alternated with Odysseus (also known as Ulysses) and Diomedes in guiding the Greek army during the seige of Troy. He exposed Odysseus as feigning madness to avoid military service by putting the infant Telemachus in the path of his plough. Palamedes was considered to be a wise leader, and among other things was attributed with the creation of the alphabet, numbers, weights and measures and the practice of eating at regular intervals. [Encyclopaedia Britannica]