[Frederic recoiling from the skeleton near the altar] [art original]

A scene from Horace Walpole's Gothic novel The castle of Otranto, with the character Frederic shown flinching back in surprise and horror at the sight in front of him, his arms outstretched and his legs poised for motion. A short distance to the left stands a skeleton wrapped in a hermit's cowl, its fleshless face seen in profile within a hood as it turns toward Frederic. The skeleton stands at an altar on which a cross and an open book sit; beyond the altar is a large, ornate window decorated with quatrefoils, Gothic tracery, and coats of arms. The walls behind Frederic on the right are decorated in a similar motif