Henry Fuseli, R.A.

Lucy Madox Brown and her husband William Michael Rossetti,
thence by descent until,
sale, London, Christie’s, 28 November 2000, lot 35,
where acquired by the late Jan Krugier

New York, Richard L. Feigen & Co. and the Jan Krugier Gallery, The Third Eye: Fantasies, Dreams and Visions, 2005-6, not numbered 

Drawing hinged with two hinges at the top edge, hinged to a modern mount. Overall the drawing is in nice condition. At the top and bottom center margins, there are remains of a transparent tape, also visible in the image in the catalogue. Some soiling and light staining along left margin. A trace of a very slight fold to the right top corner and a very barely visible trace of a mild fold horizontally through the middle. The paper is more creamy and the chalk is much more vivid and silvery than the image in the catalogue. Very slight buckling to paper at top and bottom of drawing. Sold in a wooden frame.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This drawing, executed on 30 July 1814, shows a woman playing a cittern, while a male admirer leans close and whispers in her ear.  To the left, a second girl is playing an unseen piano or harpsichord.  The work is full of power, grace and tension and it reflects Fuseli’s interests in the themes of love and music which pre-occupied his mind during the 1810s.  In 1813, while staying with his friend John Knowles at Hastings, he created two similar drawings which survived in the Moore Album,¹ while later in the decade, he seems to have drawn inspiration from the story of Romeo and Juliet.² 

Although it is difficult to be certain, the central female figure in the present work may represent Lavinia de Irujo. She was the illegitimate daughter of Don Carlos Martinez de Irujo y Taco, Spain’s first Ambassador to the United States and a personality that fascinated Fuseli between 1810 and 1815.³

Just to the left of the date, the present work has been inscribed by Fuseli with the letter K. This mark also appears on other drawings and it has been suggested that it could be a coded reference to the place in which the work was drawn.⁴  One possibility is that it stands for Knavestoke in Essex, the seat of Lord Waldegrave.  Fuseli knew that family well, for between 1765 and 1766 he had accompanied the peer's son, Lord Chewton, to France.  Professor David Weinglass, however, rejects this idea, instead believing that K indicates Kensington in London.

This drawing only became known to scholars in 2003, when it was sold at Christie’s by a descendant of William Michael and Lucy Rossetti.  Lucy was the daughter of Ford Madox Brown (1821-1893), while her husband William Michael was the brother of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882).

1. Sale, London, Christie's, Drawings by Henry Fuseli, R.A., 14 April 1992, lots 28 and 29

2. G. Schiff, Johann Heinrich Fuseli (1741-1825), Zürich/Munich 1973, p. 610, nos. 1552-4

3. Idem, pp. 537-540, nos. 1656-1664

4. Sale catalogue, London, Christie's, Drawings by Henry Fuseli, R.A., 14 April 1992, under lot 13