Head of a woman from the Dream of Queen Katherine

Fuseli's Head of a Woman from the Dream of Queen Katherine, dated 1778-88, is a study related to his Shakespeare Gallery composition, isolated from its narrative context as a demonstration of his distinctive approach to the female face. Fuseli's female figures — whether supernatural visitants, sleeping dreamers, or heroic women from history and myth — are among the most distinctive in Western art, their combination of otherworldly beauty with psychological intensity creating a female type that recurs throughout his work. This head study shows his approach to the female face as a vehicle for states of experience that transcend ordinary psychological categories — not merely beautiful, but embodying qualities of supernatural receptivity or visionary intensity.

Fuseli renders the female head with dramatic, expressive intensity. The upturned face suggests ecstatic vision or the surrender of death, painted with bold chiaroscuro and fluid, atmospheric brushwork. The luminous flesh tones against the dark background create a powerful sense of spiritual transfiguration.