On 7th February 1741 Henry Fuseli was born at Zurich, Switzerland.
1778. James Northcote [aged 31]. Portrait of Henry Fuseli [aged 36].
1780 to 1782. Henry Fuseli [aged 38]. "The two murderers of the Duke of Clarence".
1781. Henry Fuseli [aged 39]. "The Nightmare".
1781. Henry Fuseli [aged 39]. "The Nightmare". The painting was first shown in 1782 at the Royal Academy of London after which it became widely known. Fuseli painted other versions; the original was sold for twenty guineas.
In 1788 Henry Fuseli [aged 46] and Sophia Rawlins were married. She originally one of his models.
In or after 1788. Henry Fuseli [aged 46]. Portrait of Sophia Rawlins, the artist's wife.
1789. Henry Fuseli [aged 47]. "Silence".
Around 1789 Henry Fuseli [aged 47] and Mary Wollstonecraft [aged 29] planned a trip with him to Paris. His wife Sophia Rawlins stopped any communication between the two.
1790. Henry Fuseli [aged 48]. "Thor Battering the Midgard Serpent". Fuseli's diploma work for the Royal Academy
William of Worcester's Chronicle of England
William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.
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Around 1790. Henry Fuseli [aged 48]. Portrait of the artist's wife Sophia Rawlins.
1790. Henry Fuseli [aged 48]. "Danaë and Perseus on Seriphos".
1792. Henry Fuseli [aged 50]. "The Apotheosis of Penelope Boothby".
Penelope Boothby: On 11th April 1785 she was born to Brooke Boothby 6th Baronet in Lichfield, Staffordshire [Map]. On 19th March 1791 Penelope Boothby died at Ashbourne Hall, Derbyshire [Map]. She was buried in St Oswald's Church, Ashbourne [Map].
1794. Henry Fuseli [aged 52]. "Milton Dictating to His Daughter".
1794. John Opie [aged 32]. Portrait of Henry Fuseli [aged 52].
1796. Henry Fuseli [aged 54]. "The Night-Hag Visiting Lapland Witches". Hecate, the Greek goddess who presided over witchcraft and magical rites, was historically known as the "Night-Hag," hence the title that the artist gave this work. It illustrates a passage from Paradise Lost by the English poet John Milton
In 1799 Henry Fuseli [aged 57] was appointed Professor of Painting at the Royal Academy.
31st May 1800. Henry Fuseli [aged 59]. Sophia Rawlins, the artist's wife, in profile.
Around 1805. Henry Fuseli [aged 63]. "Ariel".
1817. George Henry Harlow [aged 29]. Portrait of Henry Fuseli [aged 75].
On 17th April 1825 Henry Fuseli [aged 84] died at the house of the Countess of Guildford [aged 55], on Putney Hill