Henry Fuseli (After)
Shakespeare: Tempest, Act I, Scene II
Artwork Detail
Fuseli's paintings for Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery, which opened in London in 1786, proved enormously popular, and a number of engravers produced works from them. When living in Rome the artist had made numerous studies of Michelangelo's figures in the Sistine Chapel, and the gesture of Prospero in this scene from the Tempest is a direct reference to the Creation of Adam. Mezzotint was particularly successful in depicting dramatic chiaroscuro effects; the darkness of Prospero's cell contrasts with the light cast by Ariel's flight, which in turn draws attention to Caliban's grotesque face. (Monsters and Maidens, 2004)
- Title
- Shakespeare: Tempest, Act I, Scene II
- Artist/creator
- Production date
- 1797
- Medium
- mezzotint and dust-ground aquatint on wove paper
- Dimensions
- 507 x 660 mm
- Credit line
- Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Peter Tomory, 2002
- Accession no
- 2002/9/1
- Copyright
- No known copyright restrictions
- Department
- International Art
- Display status
- Not on display
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