Der Tod des Oedipus (The Death of Oedipus)

About this artwork

**Der Tod des Oedipus ( Death of Oedipus)** an evocative 1806 outline engraving and etching by Franzi after a design by Henry Fuseli captures a poignant moment from Sophocles' ancient Greek tragedy *Oedipus at Colonus*. scene depicts the blinded king's serene yet mystical death, guided by his devoted daughters Antigone and Ismene, themes of fate, redemption, and familial piety. Fuseli, a pioneering Romantic artist known for his dramatic, gothic-infused history paintings like *The Nightmare*, infused this work with emotional intensity, bridging neoclassical reverence for antiquity with emerging Romantic passion. Hegi's masterful technique in outline engraving and etching—using acid to bite fine lines into a copper plate—creates crisp, linear forms ideal for book illustrations or prints, allowing wide dissemination of Fuseli's vision. Measuring 9 13/16 × 12 5/8 inches on the plate, this print from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department highlights early 19th-century printmaking's role in making high art accessible. Gifted in 1955, it reflects the enduring cultural fascination with Oedipus's myth, symbolizing human vulnerability and divine mystery. (198 words)