Who painted The Flight of Florimell?

The Flight of Florimell was painted by Washington Allston in 1819.

Where can I see The Flight of Florimell?

The Flight of Florimell is held by Detroit Institute of Arts.

Can I buy a print of The Flight of Florimell?

Museum-quality prints of The Flight of Florimell are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

The Flight of Florimell

Washington Allston , 1819

The Flight of Florimell is an oil painting by Washington Allston. It dates from 1819 and is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

About this work

Overview

Washington Allston’s 1819 oil work, The Flight of Florimell, portrays a young woman in a golden gown astride a white horse as they race through a dense forest. The rider’s hair and the animal’s mane whip in the wind, while a distant armored figure on a brown horse watches from the shadows. Light filters through the canopy, creating a contrast of bright and dark areas.

Subject & Meaning

The scene draws on Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, presenting a moment of peril for the heroine Florimell as she flees an unseen pursuer. The composition emphasizes her vulnerability and the urgency of escape, while the looming presence of the armored rider suggests an ominous threat, reflecting Romantic preoccupations with individual emotion and supernatural danger.

Technique & Style

Allston employs dramatic chiaroscuro, juxtaposing illuminated figures against a tenebrous woodland backdrop. The vigorous brushwork captures the motion of the galloping horses, and the luminous gold of the dress stands out against the muted earth tones. The painting’s Romantic sensibility is reinforced by its Gothic atmosphere, evident in the foreboding forest and the sense of imminent danger.

History & Provenance

Created in the United States in 1819, The Flight of Florimell entered the Detroit Institute of Arts collection in 1944. The museum acquired the work during a period of expanding American art holdings, and it has remained on display as part of the institution’s representation of early 19th‑century American Romanticism.

Own this work as a print

Artist & collection

Artist

Washington Allston

American, Georgetown, South Carolina 1779–1843 Cambridgeport, Massachusetts

Museum

Detroit Institute of Arts

Continue through works from the same source collection.