Albert Lynch – The Possessed

Albert Lynch (1851–1912), The Possessed, 1891, graphite, India ink, watercolor and gouache on paper, signed, H. 23.6 cm; W. 31.5 cm.

This captivating illustration by Albert Lynch, created for Le Figaro Illustré, accompanies The Legend of Juan Garin by Spronck. It immerses us in a mystical scene where the Count of Barcelona, Vilfredo, brings his possessed daughter to the hermit Juan Garin, renowned for his holiness and austere life on the sacred mountain of Montserrat.

Through striking detail, Lynch captures the moment when the hermit’s silent prayer alone drives out the demons inhabiting the young girl. Repulsive creatures—snakes, frogs, crawling insects—burst from the body of the possessed, symbolizing the evil presence that had taken hold of her.

In the background, the silhouette of the kneeling hermit can be seen in the shadows, praying. Yet this spiritual isolation, which Juan had chosen to combat evil, will soon be disrupted—not by the demon, but by the beauty of the young woman herself.

Albert Lynch was a Peruvian-born painter and illustrator, later naturalized as French, known for his refined illustrations in Parisian novels and magazines at the end of the 19th century. Born in Gleisweiler, he settled in France, where he developed a style influenced by Art Nouveau. He excelled in portraying female figures, which he painted with great delicacy and marked sensitivity, capturing both the grace and mystery of his subjects.