Drawing by Henry Fuseli, study for a self portrait, black and white chalk, Europe, 1741-1825

Study in black and white chalk for a self-portrait.

Given by Capt. H. Reitlinger.

Together with another example in the collection (E.1030-1918), this study is one of the few documented self-portraits of Fuseli. There are various drawings depicting his hands, but one finds only few examples of self-portraits in his work (Schiff nos. 569, 570, 571 (?), 1743; Powell no. 23). According to his biographer John Knowles, he was well aware of his 'unheroic' appearance being only 5'2" tall (Lindsay 1986, 483). By contrast, he was known for his witty character and unconventional and eccentric behaviour. In this drawing Fuseli sketches his face in a strong close-up, which enhances the intimacy and psychological depth of the drawing (Tscherny 1987, 195). Most notably, 'this device of placing the head close to the picture plane, appears often in the work of Fuseli and his circle (Barry, John Runciman, and John Brown) and became extremely common in Romantic portraiture, in the work of Reynolds's immediate successors (Romney and Lawrence) and into the nineteenth century (for example, in Géricault's portraits of the insane)' (Tscherny 1987, 199).

E.1028-1918 and E.1030-1918 are exceptional examples of full-face studies that are finished to a high degree of elaboration and detail showing Fuseli in a psychologically intimate context. A comparable self-portrait, although less elaborate, in the National Portrait Gallery (Schiff no. 1743, p.555) shows Fuseli half-length leaning over a book. Furthermore, the drawings are extraordinary in terms of their technical execution, as Fuseli is known to hardly heighten his drawings with white although this was common practice among artists of this period. Also, he preferred pencil and most often pen to working in chalk (Powell 1951, 28). His drawings are mostly executed in an expressive, impatient manner, rather 'rhethorical and declamatory' than 'diligent and persuasive' (Myrone 2001, 27).



Textual references
NAL no. 38.JJ.23
Powell, Nicolas. The drawings of Henry Fuseli. London: Faber and Faber, 1951, no. 42, p.42, 28, note3.

Myrone, Martin. Henry Fuseli. London: Tate Publishing, 2001, p. 27.

NAL no. 107.HH.7 and 107.HH.8
Schiff, Gert. Johann Heinrich Fuessli: Oevrekatalog Schweizer Kuenstler. Zurich: Schweizer Institut fuer Kunstwissenschaft, 1973, Vol.1, no. 863, p.228; Vol.2, p. 154, 510.

Tscherny, Nadia. Likeness in Early Romantic Portraiture. Art Journal, Vol. 46, No. 3, (Autumn, 1987), pp. 193-199, see also note 30.

In this melancholic self-portrait, Füssli's head is resting on his hand, looking out at the beholder, or more probably at his own image reflected in a mirror which he might have used to portray himself. The artist's entranced gaze is emphasized by the inertia of his hand which holds the tired head. The hands are prominently displayed as if Füssli wants to remind the beholder that they are the artist's tools.

E.1030-1918