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After the Shipwreck, Isabella is Rowed to Shore
Jean Honoré Fragonard French
Not on view
Before finding Angelica, Orlando encounters yet another damsel in distress: Isabella, a princess of Galicia, who recounts her own woeful tale of forbidden love. In order to marry the Scottish knight Zerbino, Isabella set sail from her homeland. When her ship was ravaged by a storm, Isabella’s faithful servant Odorico saved her by rowing her to shore aboard a tiny boat.
In his illustration of the scene, Fragonard employs brown wash with a heavy hand to suggest intense atmospheric turmoil—violent winds, sheets of rain, and surging ocean. The muscular Odorico battles the elements, plunging his oar into the angry surf, while a limp, ovoid Isabella is carried aloft by the crest of a wave. Though their faces are summarized by spare dots and dashes, the peril is palpable.
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