The Story in Paintings: index of well-known narratives 4 literary

Horace Vernet (1789–1863), Mazeppa and the Wolves (1826), oil on canvas, 97 x 136 cm, Calvet Museum, Avignon, France. Wikimedia Commons.

This is an index of the 35 well-known stories and narratives from post-classical literary and similar sources which are covered in articles about narrative painting on this blog. These are arranged in alphabetical order, for each giving the type of narrative and its origin, links to the paintings featured here, and a ‘lead’ example painting is shown. There are separate illustrated indexes for other sources of narratives, e.g. Biblical.

American Werewolf in London, An (comedy horror movie, 1981) Wright, Woman Surprised by a Werewolf (2008)

wrightwomansurprisedbyawerewolf
Stuart Pearson Wright (b 1975), Woman Surprised by a Werewolf (2008), oil on linen, 200 x 315 cm. Courtesy of and © Stuart Pearson Wright.

Angelica and Medoro (epic poetry, Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, 1516) Delacroix, Angelica and the Wounded Medoro (c 1860)

delacroixangelicamedoro
Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863), Angelica and the Wounded Medoro (c 1860), oil on canvas, 81 × 65.1 cm, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. Wikimedia Commons.

Belle Dame Sans Merci, La (poem, John Keats, La Belle Dame Sans Merci, 1819) Crane, La Belle Dame Sans Merci (1865)

cranebelledamesansmerci
Walter Crane (1845–1915), La Belle Dame Sans Merci (1865), oil on canvas, 48 × 58 cm, Private collection. Wikimedia Commons.

Britomart (epic poem, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene) Etty, Britomart Redeems Faire Amoret (1833) Crane, Britomart (1900)

cranebritomart
Walter Crane (1845–1915), Britomart (1900), watercolour on paper, dimensions not known, Library of the Arts Décoratifs, Paris. Wikimedia Commons.

Chaucer, The Prioress’s Tale (poetry, Chaucer, Canterbury Tales) Burne-Jones, The Prioress’s Tale (1869-1898)

burnejonesprioresstale
Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898), The Prioress’s Tale (1869-1898), watercolour with gouache on paper mounted on linen, 103.5 x 62.9 cm, Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE. Wikimedia Commons.

Cinderella (folk tale, Europe) Burne-Jones, Cinderella (1863); Millais, Cinderella (1881)

burnejonescinderella
Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898), Cinderella (1863), watercolour and gouache on paper, 65.7 x 30.4 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. Wikimedia Commons.

Clovis II, sons of (énervés of Jumièges) (French legend, 660) Luminais, The Sons of Clovis II (1880) (Rouen)

luminaisenervesjumieges
Évariste Vital Luminais (1822–1896), The Sons of Clovis II (1880), oil on canvas, 197 × 276 cm, Musée des beaux-arts de Rouen, Rouen, France. Wikimedia Commons.

Cymon and Iphigenia (fiction, Boccaccio, Decameron, 1348) Leighton, Cymon and Iphigenia (1884)

leightoncymoniphigenia
Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830-1896), Cymon and Iphigenia (1884), oil on canvas, 218.4 x 390 cm, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Wikimedia Commons.

Dante and Virgil (epic poem, Dante Alighieri, Inferno, 14th century) Degas, Dante and Virgil at the Entrance to Hell (1857-8) Doré, Dante and Virgil in the ninth circle of hell (1861)

doredantevergil
Gustave Doré (1832–1883), Dante and Virgil in the ninth circle of hell (1861), oil on canvas, 311 x 428 cm, Musée de Brou, Bourg-en-Bresse, France. Wikimedia Commons.

Francesca da Rimini: see Paolo and Francesca da Rimini

Friday 13th (horror movie, 1980) Doig, Echo Lake (1988); Canoe-Lake (1997-8)

Gradlon, King, and Saint Guénolé, and Dahut (Breton legend) Luminais, Flight of King Gradlon (1884) (Quimper)

luminaisflightgradlon
Évariste Vital Luminais (1822–1896), Flight of King Gradlon (1884), oil on canvas, 200 x 310 cm, Musée des beaux-arts de Quimper, Quimper, France. Wikimedia Commons.

Grail, Holy, quest for (Arthurian legend, general) Dyce, Piety: The Knights of the Round Table about to Depart in Quest of the Holy Grail (1849)

dycepietyknightsroundtableholygrail
William Dyce (1806–1864), Piety: The Knights of the Round Table about to Depart in Quest of the Holy Grail (1849), watercolour and bodycolour over pencil on buff paper, laid down, 23.3 x 44 cm, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland. Wikimedia Commons.

Lear, King (Shakespeare, play, King Lear, 1605-6) Dyce, King Lear and the Fool in the Storm (c 1851)

learfoolstorm
William Dyce (1806–1864), King Lear and the Fool in the Storm (c 1851), oil on canvas, 136 × 173 cm, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland. Wikimedia Commons.

Macbeth (Shakespeare, play, Macbeth) Martin, Macbeth (1820)

martinmacbeth
John Martin (1789–1854), Macbeth (1820), oil on canvas, 86 x 65.1 cm, Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland. Wikimedia Commons.

Madeline and Porphyro (The Eve of St Agnes) (Poem, John Keats, The Eve of St Agnes, 1819) Hunt, The flight of Madeline and Porphyro during the drunkenness attending the revelry (The Eve of St. Agnes) (study) (1848)

huntevestagnes
William Holman Hunt (1827–1910), The flight of Madeline and Porphyro during the drunkenness attending the revelry (The Eve of St. Agnes) (study) (1848), oil on panel, 25.2 x 35.5 cm, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool England. Wikimedia Commons.

Malade Imaginaire, Le (The Imaginary Invalid, Argan) (play, Molière, Le Malade Imaginaire, 1673) Daumier, Le Malade Imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid) (c 1860-2)

daumierimaginaryinvalid
Honoré Daumier (1808–1879), Le Malade Imaginaire (The Imaginary Invalid) (c 1860-2), oil on panel, 26.7 x 35.2 cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA. Wikimedia Commons.

Manfred (poem, Lord Byron, Manfred: A Dramatic Poem, 1816-7) Martin, Manfred and the Alpine Witch (1837)

martinmanfredalpinewitch
John Martin (1789–1854), Manfred and the Alpine Witch (1837), watercolour, 38.8 x 55.8 cm, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, England. Wikimedia Commons.

Mazeppa (poem, Lord Byron, Mazeppa, 1819) Vernet, Mazeppa and the Wolves (1826)

hvernetmazeppawolves
Horace Vernet (1789–1863), Mazeppa and the Wolves (1826), oil on canvas, 97 x 136 cm, Calvet Museum, Avignon, France. Wikimedia Commons.

Merlin and Nimue (Arthurian legend, various re-tellings) Burne-Jones, The Beguiling of Merlin (1870-4)

burnejonebeguilingmerlin
Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898), The Beguiling of Merlin (1870-4), oil on canvas, 186 x 111 cm, Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight, Liverpool, England. Wikimedia Commons.

Musidora (poem, James Thomson, Summer, 1727) Etty, Musidora: The Bather ‘At the Doubtful Breeze Alarmed’ (replica) (c 1846)

Musidora: The Bather 'At the Doubtful Breeze Alarmed', replica ?exhibited 1846 by William Etty 1787-1849
William Etty (1787–1849), Musidora: The Bather ‘At the Doubtful Breeze Alarmed’ (replica) (c 1846), oil on canvas, 65.1 x 50.2 cm, The Tate Gallery, London (Bequeathed by Jacob Bell 1859). Photographic Rights © Tate 2016, CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0 (Unported), http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/N00614

Ophelia (Shakespeare, play, Hamlet, Act IV scene vii) Millais, Ophelia (1851-2)

millaisophelia
John Everett Millais (1829–1896), Ophelia (1851-2), oil on canvas, 76.2 x 111.8 cm, Tate Britain, London. Wikimedia Commons.

Paolo and Francesca da Rimini (epic poem, Dante Alighieri, Inferno, 14th century) Doré, Paolo and Francesca da Rimini (1863) Dyce, Francesca da Rimini (1837)

dorepaolofrancesca
Gustave Doré (1832–1883) Paolo and Francesca da Rimini (1863), oil on canvas, 280.7 x 194.3 cm, Private collection. Wikimedia Commons.

Papin, Christine and Léa, murders (French crime, 1933; play, Jean Genet, Les Bonnes, 1947) Rego, The Maids (1987)

Pilgrim’s Progress (allegorical novel, John Bunyan, 1678) Palmer, Christian Descending into the Valley of Humiliation (1848); The Moving Panorama of Pilgrim’s Progress (1851)

Samuel Palmer, Christian Descending into the Valley of Humiliation (1848), watercolour, 51.9 x 71.4 cm, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. WikiArt.
Samuel Palmer, Christian Descending into the Valley of Humiliation (1848), watercolour, 51.9 x 71.4 cm, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. WikiArt.

Quixote, Don (novel, Miguel Cervantes, 1605, 1615) Daumier, Don Quixote and the Dead Mule (1867)

daumierdonquixotedeadmule
Honoré Daumier (1808–1879), Don Quixote and the Dead Mule (1867), oil on canvas, 132.5 × 54.5 cm, Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Photograph by Rama, Wikimedia Commons, Cc-by-sa-2.0-fr.

Rimini, Francesca: see Paolo and Francesca da Rimini

Rinaldo and Armida (epic poetry, Torquato Tasso, Jerusalem Delivered, 1581) Poussin, Rinaldo and Armida (c 1630) (also Tancred and Erminia) van Dyck, Vassallo, Lippi, van Mieris, Conca, Tiepolo, Fragonard, Zugno, Cades, Hoet the Elder, Kauffman, de la Fosse, Muller, Stillman Collier, The Garden of Armida (1899)

poussinwhole
Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665), Rinaldo and Armida (c 1630), oil on canvas, 82.2 x 109.2 cm, Dulwich Picture Gallery. Wikimedia Commons.

Roger and Angelica (epic poem, Ariosto, Orlando Furioso) Ingres, Roger (Ruggiero) Rescuing Angelica (1819) Böcklin, Roger freeing Angelica (1873, 1879-80)

ingresrogedeliveringangelica
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780–1867), Roger (Ruggiero) Rescuing Angelica (1819), oil on canvas, 147 x 190 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris. Wikimedia Commons.

Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare, play, Romeo and Juliet, 1597) Wright of Derby, Romeo and Juliet. The Tomb Scene (1790) Leighton, The Feigned Death of Juliet (1856-8)

jwrightromeojuliettomb
Joseph Wright of Derby (1734–1797), Romeo and Juliet. The Tomb Scene (1790), oil on canvas, 177.8 x 241.3 cm, Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, England. Wikimedia Commons.

Sadak (novel, James Ridley, Tales of the Genii, 1764) Martin, Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion (1812)

martinsadaksearchoblivion
John Martin (1789–1854), Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion (1812), oil on canvas, 76.2 × 63.5 cm, Art Gallery, St. Louis, MO. Wikimedia Commons.

Shalott, Lady of (Poem, Arthurian, Tennyson, 1833) Waterhouse, The Lady of Shalott (1888); “I am Half Sick of Shadows” said the Lady of Shalott (1915) Crane, The Lady of Shalott (1862) Hunt & Hughes, The Lady of Shalott (1905)

waterhouseladyshalott
John William Waterhouse (1849–1917), The Lady of Shalott (1888), oil on canvas, 153 x 200 cm, Tate Britain, London. Wikimedia Commons.

Sinbad the Sailor (folk story cycle, Middle Eastern, 1001 Nights) Vedder, The Roc’s Egg (1868)

vedderrocsegg
Elihu Vedder (1836–1923), The Roc’s Egg (1868), oil on canvas, 19.1 x 41 cm, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA. The Athenaeum.

Sleeping Beauty (folk tale, Europe, Brothers Grimm and others) Collier, The Sleeping Beauty (1921)

colliersleepingbeauty
John Collier (1850–1934), The Sleeping Beauty (1921), oil on canvas, 111.7 x 142.2 cm, Private collection. Wikimedia Commons.

Snow White (folk tale, Europe) Rego, Snow White Swallows the Poisoned Apple (1995)

Tancred and Erminia – see Rinaldo and Armida

Tristan and Isolde (Arthurian legend, Persian origin) Waterhouse, Tristan and Isolde (1916)

waterhousetristanisolde
John William Waterhouse (1849–1917), Tristan and Isolde (1916), oil on canvas, 107.5 x 81.5 cm, Private collection. Wikimedia Commons.

Yellow Rose of Texas (folk song, USA) Wright, The Yellow Rose of Texas (2008)

wrighttheyellowroseoftexas
Stuart Pearson Wright (b 1975), The Yellow Rose of Texas (2008), oil on found panel, 40 x 33 cm. Courtesy of and © Stuart Pearson Wright.