Macbeth Consulting the Witches

Macbeth Consulting the Witches is a foundational work in the graphic arts by Eugène Delacroix, created in 1825. This powerful composition, drawn directly from William Shakespeare’s tragic play, cemented Delacroix’s role as a primary exponent of Romanticism in France. The work is executed as a lithograph, an innovative printmaking technique that allowed the artist great freedom of expression and texture while interpreting the dramatic narrative.

In this rendering of the climactic scene, the protagonist, Macbeth, stands before the three malevolent Witches. Delacroix captures the moment of prophecy and fear, utilizing the inherent tonal range of the lithographic process to create deep shadows and stark highlights, emphasizing the supernatural atmosphere. This particular impression represents the third state of the total five states produced by the artist, indicating the intensive revisions Delacroix performed to refine the composition and the distribution of light before achieving the final version of the print. The varied states of Delacroix’s prints are crucial for understanding the technical evolution of his artistic process.

Delacroix created a body of work based on Shakespeare, finding in the playwright’s themes of ambition, violence, and the supernatural fertile ground for his Romantic sensibilities. This early lithographic print, illustrating the fraught interactions between the men and women integral to the Scottish play's narrative, is highly valued for its dramatic intensity. As a significant example of nineteenth-century printmaking by a major French master, the work is part of the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.