Hamlet Contemplating Yorick’s Skull

Eugène Delacroix

1828 · Lithograph on chine collé; third state of three · Drawings and Prints

Act 5, scene 1 of "Hamlet" in which the gravedigger preparing Ophelia’s burial site unearths the skull of Yorick, a jester from Hamlet’s childhood, preoccupied Delacroix throughout his career. This lithograph represents his first treatment of the subject in print. He reprised it in paintings for the Salon (one rejected in 1836 and another accepted in 1839) and as part of his suite of illustrations for "Hamlet" in 1843.

Artist

Eugène Delacroix

Date

1828

Medium

Lithograph on chine collé; third state of three

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 2018