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The Slaying of Red Comyn by Robert the Bruce

A work made of pen and brown iron gall ink, with brush and brown and gray wash, over chalk (recto), and black chalk (verso), on tan laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of pen and brown iron gall ink, with brush and brown and gray wash, over chalk (recto), and black chalk (verso), on tan laid paper.

Date:

1810–16

Artist:

Henry Fuseli
Swiss, active in England, 1741-1825

About this artwork

Fuseli illustrates the moment immediately after Robert the Bruce kills his rival to the Scottish throne, John “Red” Comyn. This event took place in 1306 in the Franciscan monastery in Dumfries, Scotland. Fuseli places the swaggering Robert front stage, nonchalantly resheathing his sword. In the background, the dying Comyn has collapsed in the arms of the friars.
The figure of Robert—whose exaggerated musculature was inspired by both ancient Roman sculpture and Michelangelo—is seen from slightly below, emphasizing his dominance. Fuseli’s expert use of wash creates brilliant effects of sunlight and cast shadow, increasing the scene’s drama.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Henry Fuseli

Title

The Slaying of Red Comyn by Robert the Bruce

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.

1810–1816

Medium

Pen and brown iron gall ink, with brush and brown and gray wash, over chalk (recto), and black chalk (verso), on tan laid paper

Inscriptions

Inscribed recto, lower right, in pen and brown ink (in Greek): "Robert de Brous (Robert of Bruce)"; inscribed verso, lower center, in pen and brown ink: "What at Thy pranks again! have done old boy! The hang [?] on rotten wood"; verso, lower left, in graphite: "10" [encircled]; lower right, in graphite: "D27974"; verso, center on mount, in graphite: "Henry FUSELI R.A."

Dimensions

31.5 × 20.6 cm (12 7/16 × 8 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Dorothy Braude Edinburg to the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection

Reference Number

2012.78

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/151453/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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