The Death of Ophelia (Mort d’Ophélie), from the Hamlet series
European Art
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The Death of Ophelia (Mort d’Ophélie), from the Hamlet series
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Eugène Delacroix
French, 1798–1863
French, 1798–1863
Date
1843, printed 1864
Medium
Black and white lithograph on wove paper
Accession #
73.47
Dimensions
Please contact the Museum for more information.
Location
Currently Not on View
Description
Ophelia, whose mind has become unhinged by the murder of Polonius, her father, and by Hamlet’s rejection of her, has fallen into a stream while picking flowers. As reported in Gertrude’s words, she drifted in the water “till that her garments, heavy with their drink, pull’d the poor wretch from her melodious lay to muddy death.”
Drawn in nuanced shadings of gray, the composition’s delicate beauty contrasts with the tragic event it depicts.
Credit
Purchase in honor of Mrs. Robert Wells, President 1972-1973 of the Members GuildCheck This Out
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