Hamlet

Hamlet is a powerful lithograph executed by Eugène Delacroix in 1864, later enhanced using pen and brown ink. This combination of precise printmaking and expressive drawing techniques allows for rich shadow and dramatic line work, demonstrating Delacroix's late-career mastery of composition within the graphic arts. As a significant example of 19th-century Romantic illustration, this work is classified as a book item, suggesting it was intended for a published portfolio illustrating William Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy.

Delacroix developed an enduring, lifelong artistic fascination with Shakespeare’s characters, viewing the melancholy and profound psychological depth of the Prince of Denmark as perfectly suited to the visual intensity of Romanticism. Unlike earlier, more restrained interpretations, Delacroix frequently emphasized the turbulent, emotional core of the play through dynamic figure placement and high contrast lighting. The medium of lithography was ideal for rendering these intense contrasts, helping to heighten the tragic tension inherent in the narrative.

Though originally created as a commercial print, the artistic depth and emotional energy of this piece elevate it beyond mere illustration. The drawing component, utilizing pen and brown ink over the stone matrix, suggests a unique variant or proof that the artist meticulously reworked. This seminal interpretation of Hamlet is held in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Reflecting its age and cultural importance, this celebrated example of 19th-century French prints is often made available through public domain initiatives, ensuring widespread accessibility to Delacroix's influential graphic arts output.