Claude Frollo
1883
In this moody 1883 illustration, the villainous archdeacon Claude Frollo from Victor Hugo's *The Hunchback of Notre-Dame* stands high atop the cathedral towers. Dressed in dark, heavy robes, he leans against a stone balustrade alongside a row of eerie gargoyles, gazing obsessively over the sprawling city of Paris below. Gustave Fraipont captures the character's torment and isolation perfectly against the sketchy, atmospheric sky. Interestingly, the famous chimeras (gargoyles) on the gallery were actually added during a major 19th-century restoration by Viollet-le-Duc, meaning this 'medieval' scene features relatively modern stone monsters!
- Technique
- Ink drawing
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