Lot 3215* - A216 19th Century Paintings - Friday, 27. March 2026, 04.00 PM
JOHANN HEINRICH FÜSSLI
(Zurich 1741–1825 London)
The tomb of Rosicrucius. 1803.
Oil on canvas.
92 × 77.5 cm.
Certificate:
Provenance:
- Thyssen-Bornemisza collection, Villa Favorita, Lugano-Castagnola, inv.-no. 481 D (verso with label), acquired from the above in June 1976.
- Private collection, Switzerland, from May 1993.
Exhibited:
Literature:
- Gert Schiff and Paola Viotto: L'opera completa di Johann Heinrich Füssli, Milan 1977, p. 104, no. 246 (with ill.).
- Gertrude Borghero (ed.): Collezione Thyssen-Bornemisza, catalogo ragionato delle opere esposte, Villa Favorita, Castagnola 1981, p. 350, no. 481 D (with ill.).
Born in Zurich in 1741, from the mid-1760s onwards John Henry Füssli found himself constantly drawn towards London, eventually settling there permanently in 1779, where he quickly established himself as one of the most celebrated artists in the British capital alongside masters such as Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792) and Benjamin West (1738–1820). On 10 February 1790 Füssli was elected a full member of the Royal Academy of Arts, and in June 1799 he was appointed Professor of Painting.
His prominent position within the London art world brought him numerous prestigious commissions, including a substantial contribution to the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery, a project whereby Shakespeare’s literary works were interpreted by a wide range of painters. Füssli’s deep engagement with literature is also evident in his in-depth pictorial response to the writings of the English poet John Milton (1608–1647) and the German poet and writer Christoph Martin Wieland (1733–1813). He also drew ideas for his paintings from numerous other literary sources.
The present work, offered here at auction, powerfully illustrates a key scene from an essay by the English writer Eustace Budgell (1686–1737). This essay was originally published on 15 May 1712 as no. 379 in the celebrated London periodical ‘The Spectator’ and was reprinted in 1803 by John Sharp in volume 9 of his 24-volume series ‘The British Classics’. Füssli painted the present composition in the same year as the model for an engraving by William Sharp (1749–1824), which was included as an illustration in the reprinted essay (see ill. 1).
In his essay, Budgell describes a tendency among scholars to withhold knowledge useful to humanity, either entirely or by expressing it in such an obscure manner that only a small circle of initiates can access it. As an example, he cites the legend of Christian Rosenkreutz, or Rosicrucius, the founder of Rosicrucianism, an association of various spiritual communities. According to tradition, Rosicrucius was born in the German-speaking world in 1378 and, during extensive travels in the Orient, acquired a vast body of secret knowledge and magical wisdom. When he died in 1484, he was said to have taken his esoteric and occult writings with him into the grave, having decreed that the tomb containing this hidden knowledge should not be opened until 120 years after his death, at which point his insights would be revealed to mankind. Legend has it that an adventurer eventually gained access to the crypt in search of these arcane writings. Upon entering the tomb, the intruder was allegedly dazzled by a blinding light, whereupon a humanoid figure in armour – the guardian of Rosicrucius’s tomb – shattered a burning lamp before him with his staff. It is precisely this moment that Füssli captures in the present painting. The ‘eternal lamp’, according to Budgell, symbolises secret knowledge, while the figure dressed in armour embodies Rosicrucius’s final will to withhold his revelations from humanity after all.
This masterpiece by Füssli, notable for the dynamic rendering of the figures and the dramatic lighting, is further enhanced by an exceptionally distinguished provenance. From 1976 onwards, the painting formed part of the renowned Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection and was displayed at the Villa Favorita in Castagnola on Lake Lugano. It remained there until the collection’s relocation from Ticino to Madrid in 1993, after which the work was acquired directly from the collection by a Swiss art collector. It is therefore a particular pleasure to be able to present this painting to the public once again after decades in private ownership.
His prominent position within the London art world brought him numerous prestigious commissions, including a substantial contribution to the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery, a project whereby Shakespeare’s literary works were interpreted by a wide range of painters. Füssli’s deep engagement with literature is also evident in his in-depth pictorial response to the writings of the English poet John Milton (1608–1647) and the German poet and writer Christoph Martin Wieland (1733–1813). He also drew ideas for his paintings from numerous other literary sources.
The present work, offered here at auction, powerfully illustrates a key scene from an essay by the English writer Eustace Budgell (1686–1737). This essay was originally published on 15 May 1712 as no. 379 in the celebrated London periodical ‘The Spectator’ and was reprinted in 1803 by John Sharp in volume 9 of his 24-volume series ‘The British Classics’. Füssli painted the present composition in the same year as the model for an engraving by William Sharp (1749–1824), which was included as an illustration in the reprinted essay (see ill. 1).
In his essay, Budgell describes a tendency among scholars to withhold knowledge useful to humanity, either entirely or by expressing it in such an obscure manner that only a small circle of initiates can access it. As an example, he cites the legend of Christian Rosenkreutz, or Rosicrucius, the founder of Rosicrucianism, an association of various spiritual communities. According to tradition, Rosicrucius was born in the German-speaking world in 1378 and, during extensive travels in the Orient, acquired a vast body of secret knowledge and magical wisdom. When he died in 1484, he was said to have taken his esoteric and occult writings with him into the grave, having decreed that the tomb containing this hidden knowledge should not be opened until 120 years after his death, at which point his insights would be revealed to mankind. Legend has it that an adventurer eventually gained access to the crypt in search of these arcane writings. Upon entering the tomb, the intruder was allegedly dazzled by a blinding light, whereupon a humanoid figure in armour – the guardian of Rosicrucius’s tomb – shattered a burning lamp before him with his staff. It is precisely this moment that Füssli captures in the present painting. The ‘eternal lamp’, according to Budgell, symbolises secret knowledge, while the figure dressed in armour embodies Rosicrucius’s final will to withhold his revelations from humanity after all.
This masterpiece by Füssli, notable for the dynamic rendering of the figures and the dramatic lighting, is further enhanced by an exceptionally distinguished provenance. From 1976 onwards, the painting formed part of the renowned Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection and was displayed at the Villa Favorita in Castagnola on Lake Lugano. It remained there until the collection’s relocation from Ticino to Madrid in 1993, after which the work was acquired directly from the collection by a Swiss art collector. It is therefore a particular pleasure to be able to present this painting to the public once again after decades in private ownership.
CHF 150 000 / 250 000 | (€ 154 640 / 257 730)
Sold for CHF 100 000 (including buyer’s premium)
All information is subject to change.