Ruggiero Fighting the Sea Monster — Gustave Doré (Orlando Furioso, 1879)

A knight, a hippogriff and a sea monster

Chained naked to a rock on a desolate island, Angelica awaits the monster that rises from the waves to devour her. But from the sky swoops Ruggiero, in full armour, mounted on the hippogriff, a winged creature half eagle, half horse. His lance strikes the scaly beast as the sea boils around them. The scene comes from Orlando Furioso, the great chivalric poem published by the Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto in the early 16th century, a whirlwind of knights, sorcerers, monsters and impossible loves that inspired artists for centuries.

Doré's epic fantasy

Gustave Doré illustrated Orlando Furioso for an edition published by Hachette in 1879, and found in it the perfect subject for his imagination. Here, everything is movement: the spread wings of the hippogriff, the coils of the monster, the foam of the waves, while the pale figure of Angelica shines against the dark rock. The episode echoes the ancient myth of Perseus and Andromeda, and had already inspired Ingres's famous painting Roger Freeing Angelica, now at the Louvre.

Why it works so well on a wall

With its deep blacks and dazzling whites, this print makes a powerful statement in a study, a library, a hallway or a gaming room. It is a perfect gift for lovers of fantasy, dragons and tales of chivalry, and for anyone who grew up with knights and monsters. A black frame enhances its dramatic contrast.

• Artist: Gustave Doré (1832–1883)
• Work: Illustration for Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, Canto X
• Date: 1879
• Medium: Wood engraving
• Literary source: Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando Furioso (1516–1532)

This plate is the climax of the episode: see the moment just before, as Ruggiero flies toward the chained Angelica, in Ruggiero Rescuing Angelica. Hung side by side, the two prints tell the story like a diptych.

Discover more of Doré's visionary engravings in our Gustave Doré collection.