The Ghost Rictavio Cannot See

Depicted moment

Erasmus van Richten appears behind Rictavio in the Blue Water Inn cellar and paints the story of his abduction into the air. Urwin can see the ghost and his images; Rictavio cannot, though Urwin’s confirmation changes the entertainer’s manner at once.

Canonical status

This is canonical Session 25 art. The blue-white vignettes visualize Erasmus’s table-established account of Vistani breaking into Richten House and carrying him away. Their composition, the cellar lighting, and the precise gestures are interpretive staging; the image does not reveal why Rictavio cannot see Erasmus.

Alt text

Rictavio stands unaware in the foreground of the Blue Water Inn cellar while the translucent blue-white ghost Erasmus appears directly behind him. Erasmus raises his hands beneath spectral images of armed intruders breaking into a house and carrying away a boy, as Urwin watches from the edge of the cellar in alarm.