The Last Sigh of the Moor

Rothermel took the theme of this painting from popular American author Washington Irving’s romanticized Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada (1829), which narrated Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella’s 1492 victory over the city of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain. Rothermel has captured the dramatic climax of Irving’s tale, when the Moorish residents “ascended an eminence commanding the last view of Granada. As they arrived at this spot, the Moors paused involuntarily, to take a farewell glance at their beloved city, which a few steps would shut from their sight forever…and the throne of the Moslem kings was lost forever.” According to Irving, this view of Granada was known by the Spaniards as “El ultimo suspiro del Moro,” the title under which Rothermel originally exhibited the work at the Academy in 1864. Rothermel captures the melancholy tone of Irving’s tale through the expressive poses of his figures as well as the dramatic sunset over the Moorish city.