The Cave of Despair
| Title | The Cave of Despair |
|---|---|
| Artist | Henry Fuseli Swiss, active in England, 1741-1825 |
| Date | c. 1769 18th century |
| Medium | Pen and black ink, with brush and brown and gray wash and touches of red gouache, over graphite and touches of charcoal, on ivory laid paper |
| Classification | pen and ink drawings |
| Origin | England England |
| Holding institution | Art Institute of Chicago |
| Credit line | The Leonora Hall Gurley Memorial Collection |
| Rights | Public domain (CC0). Free to use for any purpose. |
About this artwork
“The Cave of Despair” is a work by Henry Fuseli Swiss, active in England, 1741-1825, dated c. 1769. It is executed in pen and black ink, with brush and brown and gray wash and touches of red gouache, over graphite and touches of charcoal, on ivory laid paper and classified as pen and ink drawings. This work is in the public domain (CC0), so the image may be downloaded and reused for any purpose without permission (see the licence note below).
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The artist
This work is attributed to Henry Fuseli. Browse every catalogued public-domain plate by this maker.
The period
Dated to c. 1769. Explore the wider set of works from the 18th century held in the archive.
The collection
Made available through the Art Institute of Chicago open-access programme, which explicitly places this work in the public domain.
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Download this image
Rights: Public Domain — CC0 via the Art Institute of Chicago Open Access programme.
This work is in the public domain. You may download the image and use it for any purpose, personal or commercial, without permission or payment. No attribution is legally required, though a credit to Art Institute of Chicago is appreciated.
Prefer a themed set as a single ZIP with a manifest? See the image packs. The works remain public domain / CC0 whichever way you take them.
US vs EU note: in the United States a faithful photographic reproduction of a public-domain 2-D artwork carries no new copyright (Bridgeman v. Corel), which is the basis of these open-access programmes. EU Directive 2019/790 Art. 14 similarly provides that reproductions of public-domain visual works are not protected. If reusing commercially in another jurisdiction, satisfy yourself of the local position. See the full licence note.