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Richard Dadd - The Fairy Feller s Master-Stroke 1855-64
Supernatural beings and invented foliage are presented with an apparently scientific level of detail in this painting. It shows a carriage being made out of a chestnut for the fairy, Queen Mab. This character had a particular resonance for Romantic artists, as she was said to ride into sleeper s minds, inspiring dreams and visions.
Dadd made this work in Bethlehem Hospital (Bedlam), where he was sent after killing his father and being declared insane. This biographical narrative fits neatly with the model of the Romantic artist as outsider, where madness is often interpreted as a manifestation of creative genius.