After Anton Wagner (German, 1781-1860), Mazeppa

Oil on canvas (lined), indistinct signature at lower right, framed.

Frame dimensions 35 1/2 x 52 in.

Private Collection, Virginia

Mazeppa is a poem by the English Romantic poet Lord Byron in 1819. It is based on a popular legend about the early life of Ivan Mazepa, the famous hetman of the Zaporozhian Host in what is now Ukraine.

In the poem, the young Mazeppa has a love affair with a Polish Countess while serving as a page at the Court of King John II Casimir. After the count discovers the affair, he punishes Mazeppa by tying him naked to a wild horse and sets the horse loose. The poem's primary narrative describes the traumatic journey of the hero as he is strapped to the horse.

Good estate condition.