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Death of Ophelia (Act IV, Scene VII); from the series of 16 prints, Hamlet

Eugène Delacroix

Artwork Details

Death of Ophelia (Act IV, Scene VII); from the series of 16 prints, Hamlet
1843
Eugène Delacroix
lithograph on paper
7 3/8 in x 10 1/4 in (18.73 cm x 26.04 cm);13 3/4 in x 20 5/8 in (34.92 cm x 52.39 cm);7 1/4 in x 10 in (18.41 cm x 25.4 cm);18 in x 22 in (45.72 cm x 55.88 cm)
Museum Purchase
1961/2.19

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Description

This lithograph, also from the series devoted to illustrating Hamlet, shows Ophelia as madness and despair lead her to her death. Seen holding on to a branch as she is borne by the river’s current, Ophelia hangs in a pose that recalls figures of slain women from some of Delacroix’s earlier "Massacres," such as the Massacre at Chios and the Death of Sardanapalus. In this lithograph taken from Act IV, scene VII of the play, the dark, enclosing trees in the background sharply set off the figure, trees, and water in the foreground.
Delacroix painted several versions of the Death of Ophelia, in 1838, 1844, and 1859.

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