Tannhäuser (1886): Art, History and Details

Tannhäuser (1886) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Henri Fantin-Latour (French, 1836–1904).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Tannhäuser, the male figure seated on the left, does not seem fully engaged in this merry scene. Among pale bodies and pastel hues, he alone is cast in shadow. The Wagner opera that inspired the painting centers on a struggle between profane and sacred love, and the tension between them appears embodied in the brooding Tannhäuser.

Object facts

• Title: Tannhäuser
• Date: 1886
• Creator attribution: Henri Fantin-Latour (French, 1836–1904)
• Culture: France, 19th century
• Type: Painting
• Technique: oil on canvas
• Dimensions: Framed: 123.5 x 139.5 x 14 cm (48 5/8 x 54 15/16 x 5 1/2 in.); Unframed: 86.4 x 103.3 cm (34 x 40 11/16 in.)
• Collection: Mod Euro - Painting 1800-1960
• Department: Modern European Painting and Sculpture
• Accession number: 1916.1038

A detail from the museum

As he will eventually return to reality, Tannhäuser, the singer in the lower left, is painted in dark tones. In contrast, his vision into another realm is evoked by the soft muted hues of Venus and her court.

Collection credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade

Further reading listed by the museum

• Illustrated Catalogue of the Liverpool Corporation Autumn Exhibition of Pictures at the Walker Art Gallery, 1888. Liverpool, United Kingdom: D. Marples, 1888.
• Jullien, Adolphe. Fantin-Latour, sa vie et ses amitiés; lettres inédites et souvenirs personnels, avec cinquante-trois reproductions d'œuvres du maitre, tirées a part, six autographes et vingt-deux illustrations dans le texte. Paris, France: L. Laveur, 1909.
• Fantin-Latour, Victoria. Catalogue de l'œuvre complet (1849-1904) de Fantin-Latour, établi et rédigé. Paris: H. Floury, 1911.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.