An Old Prophet Preaching

Formerly owned by the physiognomist, theologian and poet Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801), these studies are all presented in his mounts, and dated and inscribed with his notes in German. The inscriptions read: ‘Prophet Fuseli/ IX, 2./ Old Man Prophet/ original drawing by Fuseli/ your benediction too strong… how will your damnation be 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 Andelifigen/ by Schellenberg./ Bright eyed, good memory, talented, but more idle and lucky 19.12.1787; Old man from Aberle/ The cosiness of timidness and of stubbornness, weakness united with timid greed, though not of the lowest level… but there is no greatness where there 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 humour and 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 the nose seem 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/ they never knew sin and don’t know trouble and death/ 13.3.1788/ Hiob by an unknown master/ No common face, tender/ hoping and strong and modest/ the face of the suffering one./ 13.8.1788.’

Fuseli and Lavater became friends when they were both students in Zurich. In 1762, with two other young theologians, they published a pamphlet attacking a corrupt magistrate, as a result of which they had to leave Zurich. They travelled together to Germany, and when they separated in October 1763, Fuseli wrote a sentimental prose poem Klagon (Complaints) address to ‘Fruit of my soul!’. Lavater, well-connected even as a young man, did a huge amount to promote Fuseli, bringing his work to the attention of Goethe, Herder and the ‘Sturm und Drang’ group.

The two clearly stayed in touch, and in the early 1770s, whilst in Rome, Fuseli was first included in a project to illustrate Lavater’s Physiognomische Fragments, or Studies in Physiognomy, but nothing came of this except a few drawings. Later, once living in London, Fuseli illustrated the French edition of Lavater’s work, published 1781-6, and the English edition of 1792.