Art of the Fantastical

[ducissatenebrarum]

"The Underworld," by Jan Brueghel the Younger, ca 1640. Medium: Oil on oak panel.

[nemfrog]

A nice lady with four wings and a dragon's tail. Travelers' Tales: A Book of Marvels. 1927.

Internet Archive

[enchantedbook]

From A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare Illustration by Stephen Reid, 1908

[charnel-grounds]

Gustave Doré (1832–1883), “The Haunted Grove”

illustration from “The Days of Chivalry; Or, The Legend of Croquemitaine” by Ernest L’Épine (as Quatrelles), 1866

source

[charnel-grounds]

Gustave Doré (1832–1883), “The Gnarled Monster”

illustration from “The Days of Chivalry; Or, The Legend of Croquemitaine” by Ernest L’Épine (as Quatrelles), 1866

source

[charnel-grounds]

Gustave Doré (1832–1883)

“The Outpost of Owls” & “The Entrance to Fear Fortress”

illustrations from “The Days of Chivalry; Or, The Legend of Croquemitaine” by Ernest L’Épine (as Quatrelles), 1866

source

[charnel-grounds]

Gustave Doré (1832–1883), “The Shriek of Timidity”

illustration from “The Days of Chivalry; Or, The Legend of Croquemitaine” by Ernest L’Épine (as Quatrelles), 1866

engraved by Heliodore Joseph Pisan (1822–1890)

source

[hadrian6]

Phanes Emerging from the Cosmic Egg. 1711.Jean-Bernard Restout French 1732-1797. oil/canvas. http://hadrian6.tumblr.com

[cuties-in-codices]

dragon fights

in the margins of the prayer book of charles the bold, a diminuitive prayer book (measuring about 5 x 3.5 in, or 13 x 9 cm) comissioned by charles the bold, duke of burgundy, and written and illuminated in flanders, late 15th c.

source: Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum, Ms. 37

[deathandmysticism]

Illustration of the three-headed demon Haborym from Dictionnaire Infernal, 1863

[enchantedbook]

"Guarding the Northern Passage" by the British artist Wilfrid Huggins, 1904.

[nemfrog]

The sea monster's hand. 1895.

Internet Archive

[memories-of-ancients]

Stone sculpture to ward off evil spirits, China, Eastern Han Dynasty, circa 25-220 AD

from The Luoyang Museum

[memories-of-ancients]

Bronze incense burner in the form of a dragon, Japan, circa 1800-1870

from The Cernuschi Museum, Paris

[victoriantomodern]

Icon with the Heavenly Ladder of Saint John Climacus, late 12th century, tempera and gold on panel, 41.3 x 29.9 x 2.1 cm. The Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai, Egypt.

[portalibis]

Harpokrates with crocodile body, Egyptian, Roman Imperial Period, 2nd century A.D., MFA Boston

P.I. Telegram / P.I. Facebook

[oldpaintings]

Fairies, c.1840 by Francis Danby (Irish, 1793--1861)