Orlando Pursuing the Fata Morgana

George Frederic Watts painted Orlando Pursuing the Fata Morgana in 1847, early in his career, depicting the knight Orlando chasing the illusory enchantress from Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. Watts would become one of the great symbolic painters of the Victorian era, known for his monumental allegorical works. This early painting demonstrates his interest in the conflict between human aspiration and unattainable ideals.

Watts's broad, painterly technique and atmospheric palette anticipate the monumental, symbolic style of his mature work. The hazy, dreamlike quality of the landscape and the pursuit motif reflect his early engagement with allegory and the human condition.