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Theodore Meets in the Wood the Specter of His Ancestor Guido Cavalcanti, Chasing with Mastiffs His Former Disdainful Mistress

A work made of charcoal with stumping, and brush and black wash, over graphite, on tan laid paper, laid down on off-white japanese paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of charcoal with stumping, and brush and black wash, over graphite, on tan laid paper, laid down on off-white japanese paper.

Date:

1783

Artist:

Henry Fuseli
Swiss, active in England, 1741-1825

About this artwork

The story that Fuseli illustrated here concerns Theodore, a young nobleman of Ravenna rejected by the beautiful but proud Honoria, with whom he is infatuated. In despair, Theodore retires to his country estate where one day he encounters the ghost of his ancestor Guido Cavalcanti, a suicide condemned in the afterlife to perpetually chase, kill, and disembowel the woman who rejected his love. Honoria witnesses the scene, which transforms her feelings for Theodore.

Fuseli’s source was the English poet John Dryden’s verse translation (published 1700) of a story from the Italian author Giovanni Bocaccio’s Decameron (written 1349–53).

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Henry Fuseli

Title

Theodore Meets in the Wood the Specter of His Ancestor Guido Cavalcanti, Chasing with Mastiffs His Former Disdainful Mistress

Place

Switzerland (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.

1783–1784

Medium

Charcoal with stumping, and brush and black wash, over graphite, on tan laid paper, laid down on off-white Japanese paper

Dimensions

32 × 66.4 cm (12 5/8 × 26 3/16 in.)

Credit Line

The Art Institute of Chicago

Reference Number

Obj: 116079

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/116079/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.

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