[1] Upon receiving the commission, Ingres conceived the idea for his painting quickly—it was a source of pride to him that he had required only an hour to establish the broad outlines of his composition in a sketch.

The art historian Robert Rosenblum said The Apotheosis of Homer represents "Ingres' most doctrinaire statement of his belief in a hierarchy of timeless values that are based on classical precedent.

The Apotheosis of Homer was taken down from its initial site in 1855 and replaced later that year with a copy by Paul and Raymond Balze (in collaboration with Michel Dumas).

He ultimately added dozens of new figures, including Ictinus, Giulio Romano, John Flaxman, Jacques-Louis David, Pliny the Elder, Plutarch, Cosimo de Medici, Louis XIV, and Pope Leo X.

[5] Ingres also refined his selection by excluding Shakespeare, Tasso, and Camões from the 1865 drawing, as he had come to believe that they were too closely related to the Romantic tendency epitomized by his rival Delacroix.