Hamlet and Horatio Before the Gravediggers (Hamlet et Horatio Devant les Fossoyeurs), from the Hamlet series
European Art
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Hamlet and Horatio Before the Gravediggers (Hamlet et Horatio Devant les Fossoyeurs), from the Hamlet series
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Eugène Delacroix
French, 1798–1863
French, 1798–1863
Date
1843, printed 1843–1864
Medium
Black and white lithograph on wove paper
Accession #
73.48
Dimensions
Please contact the Museum for more information.
Location
Currently Not on View
Description
Two laborers preparing Ophelia’s grave provide comic relief when they unearth and banter about the skull of Yorick, a court jester Hamlet had known as a child. Touched by memories, Hamlet sighs and says, “Alas, poor Yorick!”
Delacroix first developed this composition in 1839 for an oil painting. He adopted it for the lithograph with minor adjustments, such as a more dynamic stance and greater prominence for Hamlet’s figure.
Credit
Purchase in honor of Mrs. Robert Wells, President 1972-1973 of the Members GuildCheck This Out
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