Lot Essay
The studies are mounted in Lavater's mounts, and full inscribed in German with physiognomist's notes and individually dated, including; 'Prophet Fuseli/IX, 2./Old Man Prophet/original drawing by Fuseli/your benediction too strong ... how will be your damnation striking us down 6.9.1788./Male ideal head after an engraving by Schellenberg, enlarged More cleverness in the eye than the stupidness of the forehead 29.1.1788./Landlord of the Andelfigen/by Schellenberg./Bright eye, good memory, not untalented, but even more idleness and lucky feeling 19.12.1787./Old man from Aberle/The cosiness of timidness and of stubborness, weakness united with timid greed, though not of the lowest level ... but there is no greatness where is greed/30.12.1787./Serious Face by Schellenberg after an unknown master/You are serious about justice, decency and religion. You can't pretend, you want truth and humour decency as if it was God, and God in any decency/13.3.1788./
Ideal Head by Granicher after Lips/No Common, no big, no average face/though the stature, the mouth and nose what seems to be sublime the forehead is stupid, stubborn, gives nothing/Angels and disciples at the ascension/A lot of humility, but even more innocence of the angels Innocence, free of deception/they stand like bottles and are from earth/Never knew sin and don't know trouble and death/13.3.1788./Hiob by an unknown master/No common face, and tender/hoping andstrong and modest/the face of the suffering one./13.8.1788.'
Fuseli and Johann Kaspar Lavater were close friends from their days as studentstogether in Zurich. In 1762, with two other young theologians they published a pamphlet attacking a corrupt magistrate, as a result of which they were advised to leave Zurich. The two young men then travelled together in Germany, and when they separated in October 1763, Fuseli wrote a sentimental prose poem Klagon (complaints) addressed to 'Fruit of my soul!'. Lavater proselytized on his friend's behalf, bringing his work to the attention of Goethe, Herder and the 'Sturm und Drang' group.
In the early 1770's, while in Rome, Fuseli was first included in a project to illustrate Lavater's, Physiognomische Fragments, (or Studies in Physiognomy) but nothing came of this save a few drawings. Later, after Fuseli had settled in London, he illustrated the French edition of Lavater's work, published 1781-6, and also the English edition of 1792
Ideal Head by Granicher after Lips/No Common, no big, no average face/though the stature, the mouth and nose what seems to be sublime the forehead is stupid, stubborn, gives nothing/Angels and disciples at the ascension/A lot of humility, but even more innocence of the angels Innocence, free of deception/they stand like bottles and are from earth/Never knew sin and don't know trouble and death/13.3.1788./Hiob by an unknown master/No common face, and tender/hoping andstrong and modest/the face of the suffering one./13.8.1788.'
Fuseli and Johann Kaspar Lavater were close friends from their days as studentstogether in Zurich. In 1762, with two other young theologians they published a pamphlet attacking a corrupt magistrate, as a result of which they were advised to leave Zurich. The two young men then travelled together in Germany, and when they separated in October 1763, Fuseli wrote a sentimental prose poem Klagon (complaints) addressed to 'Fruit of my soul!'. Lavater proselytized on his friend's behalf, bringing his work to the attention of Goethe, Herder and the 'Sturm und Drang' group.
In the early 1770's, while in Rome, Fuseli was first included in a project to illustrate Lavater's, Physiognomische Fragments, (or Studies in Physiognomy) but nothing came of this save a few drawings. Later, after Fuseli had settled in London, he illustrated the French edition of Lavater's work, published 1781-6, and also the English edition of 1792