Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
With Logistilla's Guidance, Ruggiero Masters the Hippogryph
Jean Honoré Fragonard French
Not on view
Once Ruggiero realizes that he has been seduced by the sorceress Alcina, he becomes desperate to escape her palace. The hero solicits the aid of Alcina’s sister, Logistilla, the embodiment of wisdom, who teaches Ruggiero to ride the mythical hippogriff. He then departs in search of his true love, the Christian warrior-maiden Bradamante.
In Fragonard’s illustration, Ruggiero soars into the sky astride the beast, while Logistilla bids him farewell. The artist indicates Ruggiero’s rapid, triumphant ascent with a quick black chalk sketch, and he uses a heavier concentration of wash to accentuate Logistilla’s billowing robe in the foreground.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.