Sketch for 'Dido on the Funeral Pyre' (recto); Erotic Sketch of Man and Woman (verso)

1771·Oil paint over charcoal (recto), and black chalk (verso), on ivory laid paper·53.9 × 37.2 cm (21 1/4 × 14 11/16 in.)

Dido, Queen of Carthage, was deserted by her lover Aeneas, a prince of Troy and a hero of the Trojan War. Devastated, she built a pyre to burn his possessions. Upon ascending the pyre and lamenting her cruel fate, Dido took her life with the sword she had given to Aeneas. In this preparatory sketch for a painting, Fuseli hews closely to the story as recounted in the ancient Roman poet Virgil’s epic poem about Rome’s founding, the Aeneid. Dido’s sister Anna weeps at the dead queen’s feet, while Iris, sent by Juno, cuts a lock of her hair to free her soul from her body.

Catalogue

Year: 1771
Medium: Oil paint over charcoal (recto), and black chalk (verso), on ivory laid paper
Dimensions: 53.9 × 37.2 cm (21 1/4 × 14 11/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Henry Fuseli

Artist

Henry Fuseli

Painting

Henry Fuseli was a Swiss painter, draughtsman, and writer on art who spent much of his career in Britain.

Zurich, Switzerland

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