A Philosopher in a Moonlit Churchyard | Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg | 1790 Size:11"x14" The rocky foreground anchors the

The rocky foreground anchors the viewer while the mysterious vastness beyond hints at the Romantic fascination with nature’s sublime and unknowable depths

Provenance: Private London collection

reaching upwards with a hand crowned by a distinct

Mednyánszky spent considerable periods in seclusion but mingled with people across society – in the aristocracy

This moment—intimate

A Philosopher in a Moonlit Churchyard | Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg | 1790 Size:11"x14" The rocky foreground anchors thePhilip James de Loutherbourg (1740 1812), whose name is sometimes given in the French form of Philippe Jacques, the German form of Philipp Jakob, or with the English language epithet of the Younger, was a French born British painter who became known for his large naval works, his elaborate set designs for London theatres, and his invention of a mechanical theatre called the "Eidophusikon". He also had an interest in faith healing and the occult and