Bradamante at Merlin’s Tomb
European Art

Bradamante at Merlin’s Tomb
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard
French, 1780–1850
French, 1780–1850
Date
ca. 1820
Medium
Oil on canvas
Accession #
1983.70
Dimensions
13 x 9 1/2 inches
Location
On View - Stent Family Wing, Level 2, Gallery 208
Description
This mysterious, eerie scene might be taken from Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem of the 1500s, Orlando Furioso. The episode this painting might depict occurs in Canto III, verses 20–77, when the heroine Bradamante comes to the magician Merlin’s tomb and a vision of her descendants is conjured by the sorceress Melissa. Fragonard’s sketchy application of paint and the work’s supernatural light create a strong theatrical effect.