Theseus und Ariadne

1788

not on display
Henry Fuseli1741 Zürich – 1825 Putney Hill/London
We have 117 artworks by Henry Fuseli online.
We have 1824 paintings online.
King Minos of Crete demands from the Athenian king Aegeus the annual tribute of seven virgins and seven youths to feed the terrible Minotaur, half bull, half man, for his son who has fallen in Athens. Among them is Theseus, who wants to kill the Minotaur in order to free his fatherland from the hideous tribute. Minos' daughter Ariadne falls in love with Theseus and gives him a ball of yarn so that he can find his way out of the labyrinth once the deed is done. (Ovid, Metamorphoses, VIII, 172 f.). The composition is based on the ancient relief 'Perseus and Andromeda' (Rome, Museo Capitolino), which Füssli sketched in 1778 (Gert Schiff: Johann Heinrich Füssli 1741-1825, 2 vols. (Zurich et al. 1973; = Oeuvrekataloge Schweizer Künstler 1), no. 661). Engraving from 1788 by John Raphael Smith, cf. David H. Weinglass: Prints and engraved Illustrations by and after Henry Fuseli. A catalogue raisonné (Aldershot 1994) no. 79.
Also known as
Theseus empfängt von Ariadne den Faden. Ovid, Metamorphosen VIII, 172-173 Theseus Receiving the Thread from Ariadne
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
image: 96 x 72.5 cm
Inventory number
1023
Credit line
Kunsthaus Zürich, 1913