Description
Henry Fuseli's lifelong interest in the work of the English poet John Milton (1608-1674) inspired many drawings that interpreted passages from Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost (1667). This early example illustrates the moment when the angels Ithuriel and Zephon discover Satan disguised as a toad in the bower where Adam and Eve are sleeping. Ithuriel forces Satan to reveal himself by prodding him with a spear. The lion in the background alludes to an earlier passage in the poem, when Satan takes on the shape of the beast in order to spy on the couple.
Provenance
Dr. John Percy [1817-1889; Lugt 1504], London (?-?); Sir James Knowles, London (?-?); Eva Trüeb-Baumann, Chateau d'Hauterive, Switzerland (?-?); (Dr. G. A. Gericke, Zurich) (?-?); Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1954-)
Accession Number
1954.365
Medium
pen and brown ink and brush and gray wash
Dimensions
Sheet: 30.9 x 42.5 cm (12 3/16 x 16 3/4 in.); Secondary Support: 31 x 42.7 cm (12 3/16 x 16 13/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Credit Line
Dudley P. Allen Fund
Tags
Drawing Neoclassical & Romantic (1751–1850) Ink Swiss Color: Orange Color: Brown
Background & Context
Background Story
Satan Starts from the Touch of Ithuriel's Spear from 1776 is a pen and wash drawing depicting an episode from Milton's Paradise Lost in which the angel Ithuriel touches Satan with his spear and Satan, disguised as a toad, springs up in his true form. The 1776 date places this early in Fuseli's career, when he was developing the literary subject matter that would define his work, and the pen and wash medium allows the rapid, fluid handling that distinguishes Fuseli's best drawings from the more deliberate finish of his oil paintings.
Cultural Impact
Fuseli's Milton drawings are among the most important literary illustrations in British art because they demonstrate the dramatic quality that Fuseli brought to Milton's poetry. Satan Starts from the Touch of Ithuriel's Spear is one of the most vivid of these drawings, capturing the moment of Satan's transformation with the rapid, fluid handling that distinguishes Fuseli's best pen and wash work from the more deliberate finish of his oil paintings.
Why It Matters
Satan Starts from the Touch of Ithuriel's Spear is Fuseli's Milton illustration at its most dramatic: the moment Satan springs from his disguise captured in pen and wash with the rapid, fluid handling that distinguishes his best drawings. The 1776 drawing demonstrates the literary subject matter that would define Fuseli's career, drawn from Milton's Paradise Lost.
