Florimell leaves the Witches Hut and Disappoint <i>(sic.)</i> the Monster

The composition captures a moment from Spenser’s allegorical narrative in which Florimell, a symbol of chastity, escapes the enchantments of a witch’s hut only to be met by a threatening monster. The scene illustrates the poem’s themes of virtue confronting danger and the triumph of moral resolve over deceptive forces.

Kent’s drawing employs a brisk, energetic line that reflects his background in decorative design. The figures are rendered with a directness that emphasizes movement, while the surrounding architecture and creature are sketched with a relatively loose hand, characteristic of his illustrative work rather than fine‑art painting.

Created in the 1730s–40s, the illustration was included in the 1751 printed edition of *The Faerie Queene* produced by Wright and Brindley. The drawings are numbered sequentially in ink, a detail that suggests Kent intended only these thirty‑two images for publication, countering earlier speculation that the series remained incomplete at his death.

Contemporary critic Horace Walpole dismissed the *Faerie Queene* illustrations as among Kent’s weaker efforts, contrasting them with his more successful decorative commissions. Nonetheless, the drawings demonstrate Kent’s vigorous imagination and contribute to the visual tradition of 18th‑century literary illustration, preserving his reputation as a prolific designer.