Skip to Content
Today Open today 10–11 members | 11–5 public

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue–Wed Closed
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • The first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member-only viewing.

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

A work made of oil paint over charcoal (recto), and black chalk (verso), on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of oil paint over charcoal (recto), and black chalk (verso), on ivory laid paper.

Date:

c. 1781

Artist:

Henry Fuseli
Swiss, active in England, 1741-1825

About this artwork

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.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Henry Fuseli

Title

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

Place

England (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1771–1981

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.)

Credit Line

The Leonora Hall Gurley Memorial Collection

Reference Number

1980.1089

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/113888/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms