Artwork
Hamlet and His Mother
Hamlet and His Mother is an oil painting by the French Romanticist artist Eugène Delacroix. It dates from 1849 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting’s presence in the Metropolitan Museum of Art further confirms its status as a canonical representation of this literary moment.
The painting titled Hamlet and His Mother, executed by Eugène Delacroix in 1849 as an oil on canvas, portrays a man and a woman drawn from literature, specifically the world of William Shakespeare, as recorded in the metadata. The composition shows a mother and her son, evoking the tragic dynamics of Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet and suggesting themes of familial bonds and impending doom. By situating the figures within a literary context, the work underscores the narrative source of the scene and highlights the emotional tension between the characters.
The painting’s presence in the Metropolitan Museum of Art further confirms its status as a canonical representation of this literary moment.
Technique & Style
Eugène Delacroix executed Hamlet and His Mother in 1849 using oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 27.3 cm in height and 18.1 cm in width, classifying it as a small-scale painting. As a product of the artist's mature period, the piece employs the fluid handling and rich coloration characteristic of Delacroix's Romantic style, depicting the dramatic literary encounter between the two figures.
The medium of oil on canvas allows for the layered application and textural depth typical of the period's European painting techniques.
History & Provenance
Hamlet and His Mother is an oil‑on‑canvas work by Eugène Delacroix, painted in 1849. The canvas measures 27.3 × 18.1 cm. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has been exhibited and conserved as part of the museum’s European paintings holdings. The work is listed in the museum’s catalogue under its original title, confirming continuous institutional ownership since acquisition, though no earlier private owners or sale records are documented in the sources consulted. No commission details or explicit creation history beyond the 1849 date are recorded.
Eugène Delacroix's 1849 oil painting, Hamlet and His Mother, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work, executed on canvas, measures 27.3 cm in height and 18.1 cm in width. While the museum location and physical dimensions are documented, the provided sources do not specify a unique inventory or accession number for this piece.
Furthermore, the available information contains no record of the painting's exhibition history, leaving its display timeline unverified within these references.
Overview
Eugène Delacroix, a prominent figure in the French Romantic movement, completed Hamlet and His Mother in 1849. This oil painting captures a pivotal dramatic moment from William Shakespeare's renowned tragedy. The artwork exemplifies Delacroix's characteristic emphasis on emotional intensity and dynamic composition, distinguishing it from the prevailing Neoclassical aesthetic of his era.
It is presently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, representing a significant work by the artist.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( DEL-ə-krwah, -KRWAH; French:; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist who was regarded as the leader of the French Romantic school.
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Hamlet: Hamlet and the Corpse of Polonius
Hamlet: The Murder of Polonius
Hamlet: Hamlet and Guildenstern
Hamlet: Hamlet and Ophelia
Hamlet: Hamlet and the Queen
Hamlet and Ophelia (Act III, Scene I)
Hamlet’s Vision
Hamlet: The Death of Hamlet
Hamlet and Horatio in the Churchyard