Titania, unbekleidet und mit hochgestecktem Haar, und Nick Bottom mit Eselskopf, gehend, begleitet von Elfenkindern c. 1867 - 1868

Paul Konewka created this line drawing of Titania and Nick Bottom, accompanied by fairy children, sometime in the 19th century. Konewka, a German artist, was known for his silhouette illustrations, and this piece, while not a silhouette, retains that emphasis on line and form. The drawing depicts a scene from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," where Titania, the queen of the fairies, falls in love with Nick Bottom, a weaver who has been magically transformed to have the head of a donkey. The image presents a curious intersection of the beautiful and the grotesque, the powerful and the absurd. This unlikely pairing perhaps mirrors the social dynamics of the time, where class and status often dictated relationships, yet desire and fantasy could disrupt these hierarchies. The fairy children, symbols of innocence and mischief, add to the dreamlike quality of the scene, inviting us to consider the complexities of love, power, and transformation. The lightness of the drawing adds a sense of ethereal beauty. It is a depiction of longing that blends humor with a touch of the uncanny.