Johann Heinrich Fuseli R.A.

Possibly Susan, Countess of Guilford (1771-1837);
thence by descent to her daughter, Susan, Baroness North (1797-1884);
her sale, London, Sotheby's, 14-15 July 1885, unknown lot;
M. Wronker;
by whom sold, London, Sotheby's, 24 May 1950, lot 7, (bt. Denton);
with Spink's, London;
with Louis Meier, London, by whom sold circa 1956 to the present owner 

Newcastle, Hatton Gallery, Italian and Other Drawings 1500-1800...., 1974, no. 117;
London, Courtauld Institute Galleries, Italian and Other Drawings 1500-1800...., 1975, no. 74

G. Schiff, Johann Heinrich Füssli 1741-1825, Zurich 1973, p. 441, cat. no. 384

This work has been well preserved. The medium has remained in good condition and the drawing retains much of its original power and strength. The sheet has, in general, not discoloured, however at the extreme lower edge and at the far right hand edge there two areas where the paper as darkened. In the past, the work has been folded and as a result there is a vertical crease in the centre of the sheet. The work has not been laid down, but is instead attached to a backing-sheet at several points verso. For further information regarding this lot, please contact either Mark Griffith-Jones (mark.griffithjones@sothebys.com) or Emmeline Hallmark (emmeline.hallmark@sothebys.com).
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In this powerful drawing, Fuseli illustrates the emotional moment in Homer's Iliad, when Priam, King of the Trojans, prostrates himself before Achilles to plead for the return of the body of his favourite son Hector. In the present work, with its intense line, bold composition and dramatic lighting, Fuseli succeeds in representing a moving yet powerful clash of masculinity, with the proud, but physically weak, old King pleading with a somewhat remorseful, yet physically powerful hero. This achievement underlines his standing as one of the most important and original artists of his time.

Earlier in Homer's epic account, Achilles had been overwhelmed by anger upon learning of the death of his great friend, Patroclus, at the hands of Hector. He had sworn to kill Hector, whom he pursued three times around the walls of Troy. Finally Hector had turned to face him, with a plea that if he were killed, his body might be spared and returned to his father, but Achilles refused this request and slew him regardless. He then defiled Hector's body and dragged it round Patroclus' tomb on twelve consecutive days, leaving it there as a consolation for his friend's ghost and refusing to return it to Priam. 

After funeral games held in honour of Patroclus, King Priam, with the help of the God Hermes, secretly entered the Greeks' camp in a chariot filled with treasure. Priam, described by Homer as a gentle, amiable old man, begged Achilles to return Hector's body. He urged him to think of his own father, Peleus, and his love for him, at which Achilles was moved to tears at the memory of his father and of Patroclus. Achilles accepted the ransom and agreed to return the corpse.

Dr. Gert Schiff suggested that the present drawing can be dated circa 1770-1771, soon after Fuseli's arrival in Rome. The work displays many stylistic similarities with the drawings in Fuseli's 'Roman Sketch Book' (British Museum). The sheets depicting Achilles Lamenting for Patroclus (BM 1885.0364.254) and Meleager Implored by the Aetolians to Defend the City of Calydon (BM. 1885.3.14.209) are particularly comparable. The figurative composition employed in the present work is derived from a marble Roman sarcophagus which Fuseli would have studied in the Villa Borghese.¹

Fuseli had been encouraged to travel to Italy by the then President of the Royal Academy Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792). With financial help from the banker Thomas Coutts, Fuseli lived there between 1770 and 1779. The visual stimulus of the classical world, along with the dramatic inspiration of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes, fired Fuseli's imagination. It was the most formative event in his artistic development. His reputation grew rapidly and he was soon acknowledged as a leading member of a group of resident British artists which included, amongst others, Thomas Banks (1735-1805), James Barry (1741-1806), James Northcote (1746-1831) and George Romney (1734-1802). Thomas Banks ranked Fuseli as 'the greatest figure... among the students of painting',² while the theologian Johann Casper Lavater (1741-1801) described him in 1773 as 'one of the greatest imaginations in Rome...everything in extremes...hurricane and tempest'.³

1. Now housed in the Louvre Museum, Paris
2. Letter to Nathaniel Smith, 31 July 1773, in C.F. Bell, Annals of Thomas Banks, Cambridge 1938, p. 16
3. Ed. W. Muschg, Johann Heinrich Füssli, Basel 1942, p. 168