Orlando in a Fury Tearing up Trees

William Blake after Thomas Stothard

National Gallery of Art

This print shows a bearded man holding the trunk of a long tree over one shoulder. He is in a wide stance, legs bent and his body turned to lift the trunk. He is mostly naked with a small cloth hanging over one of his thighs and draping over his groin. He has pale skin with a muscular build, and he looks over his shoulder up to the right, his eyes wide and his mouth partially open. Armor pieces, including a helmet and shield or breastplate, are on the ground behind him, along with a long lance. A horse stands on the right behind the discarded armor, facing away from us, rearing up and turning its head back to look at the man. Slightly above center, two people are peek out from behind foliage, looking at the man. One of the people raises their arm over their head. The setting is a dense forest with large trees obscuring all most all of the gray sky, and the ground beneath the man is littered with small rocks and leaves.