Hamlet and Horatio in the Graveyard

1827–28
Not on view
A highly literate artist, Delacroix was often drawn to the works of William Shakespeare. This scene from Hamlet, for example, appears and reappears in the artist’s drawings, prints, and paintings. It describes the tragicomic encounter between Hamlet and the gravediggers in Act V. Here Hamlet and Horatio contemplate the skull of the fool Yorick.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Hamlet and Horatio in the Graveyard
  • Artist: Eugène Delacroix (French, Charenton-Saint-Maurice 1798–1863 Paris)
  • Date: 1827–28
  • Medium: Brush and brown wash with watercolor over graphite on heavy watercolor paper
  • Dimensions: 13 9/16 x 7 15/16 in. (34.4 x 20.1 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.616
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.