Ophelia (Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 7)
Medium
Mezzotint, etching and stipple on chine collé; proof
Dimensions
Image: 20 11/16 in. × 34 in. (52.5 × 86.3 cm) Plate: 25 7/16 × 37 1/16 in. (64.6 × 94.2 cm) Sheet: 27 3/8 x 39 3/16 in. (69.5 x 99.5 cm) Chine collé: 24 5/16 × 35 13/16 in. (61.7 × 90.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
Accession Number
49.40.282
Tags
Art Historical Context
This evocative print, titled *Ophelia (Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 7)*, captures tragic drowning of Hamlet's beloved from William Shakespeare's renowned play. Created as a mezzotint, etching, and stipple after Sir John Everett Millais' 1851–52 Pre-Raphael painting, it was engraved by James Stephenson and published Henry Graves & Company and Printsellers' Association,, on March 1, 1866. Millais' original work, with its hyper-detailed depiction of Ophelia floating amid lush river flora, exemplifies the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's commitment to naturalism, vivid color, and literary themes,...