Tannhäuser: Venusberg
1876
Lithograph in black with scraping on stone on grayish-ivory chine laid down on thick ivory wove paper
40.9 × 50.2 cm (16.1 × 19.8 in)
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Not currently on view
In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026
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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG
Richard Wagner's opera Tannhaüser was first interpreted by Henri Fantin-Latour in 1862. This second revised version of Venusberg was Fantin-Latour's first attempt at transfer lithography, a printing method in which the artist's drawing is transferred directly onto a lithographic stone. Here, Tannhaüser is depicted in Venus's realm of sensual delights. Nymphs dance to the music of a flute player, and Venus reclines upon Tannhaüser's lap, gazing passionately into his eyes.
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