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Mephistopheles Flying, from Faust

A work made of lithograph in black on white wove paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of lithograph in black on white wove paper.

Date:

1828

Artist:

Eugène Delacroix
French, 1798-1863

About this artwork

This nightime scene depicts the demon Mephistopheles flying above a cityscape. The stark contrasts of light and dark emphasize his ghoulish form, accentuated with sharp claws and toenails. This lithograph is the prologue to Eugène Delacroix’s series illustrating key episodes from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s drama Faust. An ambitious German scholar, Faust makes a deal with Mephistopheles to gain fame and fortune but, in return, Faust loses his soul and morality.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Eugène Delacroix

Title

Mephistopheles Flying, from Faust

Place

France (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.

1828

Medium

Lithograph in black on white wove paper

Dimensions

Image: 27 × 23 cm (10 11/16 × 9 1/16 in.); Sheet: 42.9 × 29 cm (16 15/16 × 11 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

John H. Wrenn Memorial Collection

Reference Number

1930.1256

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.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/7408/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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