Ophelia (Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 7),March 1, 1866
Sir John Everett Millais
===============================Size: 24x36 inches
Substrate: Premium Matte paper
Bleed: Full (image is edge to edge)
Product Notes: Wonderful print for less than the major poster/print resellers. We take great pride in selecting only the highest quality images and do as much as we can to preserve the artist's original intent for the piece (many of the art and artists selected loved print-making as well).
Here, Hamlet’s rejected lover, her mind unhinged, has fallen into a brook while picking wildflowers. Inspired by an evocative description of Ophelia’s death in Shakespeare’s Hamlet (act 4, scene 7), Millais painted the subject for a London Royal Academy exhibition in 1852; this masterful print reproduces that composition. As a member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Millais challenged artistic convention and spent months outdoors painting the lush setting, and then posed a model in a bathtub in his studio to complete the composition. The painting’s hyperrealistic detail and collapsed space initially unsettled viewers, but this later print encouraged admiration for the groundbreaking conception. Stephenson combined mezzotint, etching, and stipple to evoke the rich silverwork adorning Ophelia’s gown and describe the range of plants and flowers embellishing her watery grave.
Artist:After Sir John Everett Millais (British, Southampton 1829–1896 London)
Engraver:James Stephenson (British, Manchester 1808–1886 London)
Publisher:Henry Graves & Company (London)
Subject:William Shakespeare (British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564–1616 Stratford-upon-Avon)
Date:March 1, 1866-----------
This image is part of The MET's Open Access Images program