Der Besessene (The Escapee: A Real Scene in the Hospital of San Spirito at Rome)
John Barlow|Henry Fuseli, 1806
About this artwork
"Der Besessene ( Escapee: A Real in the Hospital of Sanito at Rome)" is a striking 1806 print created by English engraver John Barlow after design by the renowned Swiss-British artist Henry Fuseli Fuseli, a key figure in the Romantic movement, was celebrated for his dramatic, gothic visions inspired by literature, mythology, and the supernatural— of his iconic *The Nightmare*. This work captures a vivid, real-life episode in Rome's ancient Hospital of San Spirito, one of Europe's oldest charitable institutions, founded in the 12th century. The title evokes a scene of chaos, possibly involving a deranged or "possessed" figure attempting escape amid the hospital's wards, blending raw human drama with a hint of the macabre. Rendered in outline engraving and etching, the medium allows for crisp, linear precision that emphasizes Fuseli's intense compositions. These techniques, popular in the early 19th century for reproducing paintings and drawings, made high-art accessible through affordable prints. The plate measures 9 13/16 × 12 1/2 inches, with tags noting depictions of men and a cross suggesting religious undertones—fitting for a hospital tied to papal care and spiritual healing. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Jenny Philippsohn, 1955), this piece offers a window into Fuseli's fascination with madness and institutional life, bridging Enlightenment rationalism with Romantic emotional turmoil. A chilling reminder of historical medicine's darker side!