Study for the Prophet Jeremiah (recto); Studies of a Horse Seen from Below and of a Man Seated on a Chair, Probably a Self-Portrait and an Off-Print in Brown Ink of a Nude Female Abdomen and Legs (verso)
Fuseli came from a family of artists but trained as a Zwinglian minister before visiting London in the 1760s and deciding to become a painter. His knowledge of the Old Testament and his admiration for Renaissance masters underscore this dramatic sketch of the prophet Jeremiah, made for an engraved illustration in Francis Willoughby’s Practical Family Bible (1772). Bold strokes of brown ink describe the elderly, enraged prophet who steadies himself on a staff as he raises an earthen vessel above his head. The Book of Jeremiah (19:11) describes the prophet’s dramatic denunciation of idol worshippers: "This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired." Fuseli, like Blake, belonged to the first generation of Romantic artists in Britain who sought inspiration in poetry and intensely personal emotional and religious experience. About the time he made this drawing, however, Fuseli met Jean Jacques Rousseau and became disillusioned with traditional theology.
Artwork Details
- Title: Study for the Prophet Jeremiah (recto); Studies of a Horse Seen from Below and of a Man Seated on a Chair, Probably a Self-Portrait and an Off-Print in Brown Ink of a Nude Female Abdomen and Legs (verso)
- Artist: Henry Fuseli (Swiss, Zürich 1741–1825 London)
- Date: 1764–70
- Medium: Pen and brown ink over graphite on paper; verso, pen and brown ink; framing lines in graphite
- Dimensions: 14 7/8 x 6 5/8 in. (36.7 x 16.9cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Anonymous Gift, 2000
- Object Number: 2000.517a, b
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Henry Fuseli
William Shakespeare
1790
Henry Fuseli
1802
Multiple artists/makers
1801
Henry Fuseli
1812
Henry Fuseli
Georg Jacob Vollweiler
1804–7
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.