Study for Inquisition, Illustration to Columbiad
c. 1806
Medium
Oil paint, over touches of graphite, on cream wove paper, laid down on stipple etching, etching, and aquatint in black on cream wove paper
Dimensions
52.9 × 44.6 cm (20 7/8 × 17 9/16 in.)
Classification
oil on paper
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
7577
Art Historical Context
Henry Fuseli’s *Study for Inquisition, Illustration to Columbiad* (c. 1806) captures a dramatic moment intended for Joel Barlow’s epic poem * Columbiad*, which recounts the discovery and early history of the Americas. Fuseli, a Swiss-born artist celebrated for his intense Romantic vision and theatrical compositions, explored themes of power, persecution, and human conflict through this preparatory work. The scene evokes the Spanish Inquisition’s shadow over New World exploration, blending historical narrative with emotional intensity characteristic of early 19th-century Romanticism. Created a...
About the Artist
Henry Fuseli
Henry Fuseli (1741-1825), born Johann Heinrich Füssli in Zürich, was a Swiss-British painter whose visionary works exploring dreams, nightmares, and psychological terror made him one of the most original figures of the Romantic movement. His art bridged Neoclassical discipline with Romantic emotionalism, creating images of supernatural intensity that would influence artists from William Blake to t...