John Henry Fuseli (1741–1825), Satan and Death with Sin Intervening, 1802

Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Neue Pinakothek

Fuseli frequently chose themes from European literature as subjects for his artwork. This painting is based on a passage from Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, the biblical battle between the forces of the underworld. Satan, depicted on the left, is attacking Death but restrained by the intervention of Sin, who seeks to unify the two in the battle against Good. Fuseli portrays Evil as an alluring temptress, the seductive antithesis to a religious paradise believed lost.