Belisane and Percival Under the Enchantment of Urma

Art Historical Context

In the evocative print *Belisane and Percival Under the Enchantment of Urma* (1806), Swiss engraver Johann Heinrich Lips collaborates with the visionary artist Henry Fuseli to capture a spellbound moment from medieval romance. Fuseli, a key figure in British Romanticism, drew inspiration from Arthurian legends, depicting the knight Percival and the lady Belisane in a deep, enchanted slumber induced by the sorceress U. This scene evokes the mystical perils of chivalric quests, blending erotic tension with supernatural drama—a hallmark of Fuseli's gothic imagination. Rendered in outline engraving and etching, the work showcases Lips's precise technique, which emphasizes bold contours and shadowy depths on a modest plate (9 3/4 × 12 5/8 in.). This reproductive print medium was ideal for disseminating Fuseli's dramatic designs to wider audiences during the early 19th century, when Romantic artists revived medieval tales amid growing interest in folklore and the irrational. Now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Jenny Philippsohn, 1955), this piece invites visitors to ponder themes of vulnerability and magic, bridging literary history with the era's fascination for the fantastical.