The Discovery (recto), Two Sketches of Standing Male Figures (verso)

The Discovery (recto), Two Sketches of Standing Male Figures (verso)

Henry Fuseli, 1767/69

Download1686 × 1363 px View on a wall Edit

Artist: Henry Fuseli (Swiss, 1741–1825)
Medium: Pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash, over graphite with traces of opaque brown paint (recto), graphite (verso), on cream laid paper, tipped onto ivory laid paper
Size: 52.9 × 65.8 cm (20 7/8 × 25 15/16 in.)
Museum: Art Institute of Chicago
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

This powerful drawing—a bravura exercise in virtuoso line and tonal washes—illustrates a story from Swiss theologian Ludwig Lavater’s book De Spectris (“On Ghosts”), published in 1569. It describes a priest who, dressed in a sheet, haunts his wealthy niece who is living in his house, in an attempt to rape her and cheat her of her fortune. Terrified, the niece enlists the aid of a friend who exposes the repentant priest. The curious badminton match visible in the background—not in the story, but added by Fuseli as a critical commentary—is a reference to a proverb composed in Latin by the Dutch poet Jacob Cats (1577–1660): Amor ut pila vices exiget, “Love, like a ball, demands reciprocation.”

Text: Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0.

More by Henry Fuseli

Dido

Henry Fuseli, 1781

Euphrosyne vor der Phantasie und der Temperantia (Mäßigkeit)

Euphrosyne vor der Phantasie und der Temperantia (Mäßigkeit)

Henry Fuseli, 1799–1800

The Nightmare

Henry Fuseli, 1781

The Mandrake: A Charm

The Mandrake: A Charm

Henry Fuseli, exhibited 1785

Theodore Meets in the Wood the Spectre of His Ancestor Guido Cavalcanti

Theodore Meets in the Wood the Spectre of His Ancestor Guido Cavalcanti

Henry Fuseli, c. 1783

Hagen and the Nymphs of the Danube

Hagen and the Nymphs of the Danube

Henry Fuseli, 1802

Thor Battering the Midgard Serpent

Thor Battering the Midgard Serpent

Henry Fuseli, 1790

Tiresias appears to Ulysses during the sacrifice

Tiresias appears to Ulysses during the sacrifice

Henry Fuseli, 1780–1785

Percival Delivering Belisane from the Enchantment of Urma

Percival Delivering Belisane from the Enchantment of Urma

Henry Fuseli, c. 1783

Oedipus Cursing His Son Polynices

Oedipus Cursing His Son Polynices

Henry Fuseli, 1786

Sketch for "Oath on the Rütli" (recto), Female Figure (verso)

Sketch for "Oath on the Rütli" (recto), Female Figure (verso)

Henry Fuseli, 1779–81 (recto); 1785–90 (verso)

Lady Macbeth Seizing the Daggers

Lady Macbeth Seizing the Daggers

Henry Fuseli, 1812

Visually similar

The Duke of Gloucester Lying in Wait for Lady Anne at the Funeral Procession of Her Father-in-law, King Henry VI (recto); Standing Male Nude, Leaning Forward (verso)

The Duke of Gloucester Lying in Wait for Lady Anne at the Funeral Procession of Her Father-in-law, King Henry VI (recto); Standing Male Nude, Leaning Forward (verso)

Henry Fuseli, 1760/67

Hercules Killing the Mares of Diomedes

Hercules Killing the Mares of Diomedes

Henry Fuseli, 1800/05

Figure Studies for Various Female and Male Figures (recto); Threes Amors in the Garden of Venus (verso)

Figure Studies for Various Female and Male Figures (recto); Threes Amors in the Garden of Venus (verso)

Agostino Carracci, 1600–02

Winged Female Figure, River God, and a Nude Boy

Winged Female Figure, River God, and a Nude Boy

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1696–1770

Poseidon stående med løftet trefork, samt en nereide

Poseidon stående med løftet trefork, samt en nereide

Benoît Le Coffre, 1671-1722

Graflegging

Peter Paul Rubens, 1615 - 1617

Mercury Appearing to a Marine Deity and a Nymph

Mercury Appearing to a Marine Deity and a Nymph

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1696–1770

Venus and Adonis

Venus and Adonis

Palma il Giovane, c. 1620

The Dead Christ with Angels

The Dead Christ with Angels

The Cave of Despair

The Cave of Despair

Henry Fuseli, c. 1769

Judith Decapitating Holofernes

Judith Decapitating Holofernes

Giorgio Vasari, 1511–74

Venus and Cupid Discovering the Body of Adonis

Venus and Cupid Discovering the Body of Adonis

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, c. 1740