Hamlet, Act I, Scene IV: Hamlet, Horatio, Marcellus, and the Ghost

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Henry Fuseli
Hamlet, Act I, Scene IV: Hamlet, Horatio, Marcellus, and the Ghost
1796

Name: Hamlet, Act I, Scene IV: Hamlet, Horatio, Marcellus, and the Ghost
Brand: Henry Fuseli
Rating: 4.9 (44 reviews)

About the Item

Hamlet, Act I, Scene IV, written by William Shakespeare, after the painting by Henry Fuseli (1741-1825) commissioned by the London master publisher, John Boydell, for his Shakespeare Gallery and for the making of this engraving by Robert Thew (1758–1802). The Scene: On a dark winter night, a ghost walks the ramparts of Elsinore Castle in Denmark. Discovered first by the watchman Marcellus, then by the Hamlet friend and scholar Horatio, the ghost resembles the recently deceased King Hamlet, whose brother Claudius had inherited the throne and married the king’s widow, Queen Gertrude. When Horatio and the watchmen bring Prince Hamlet, the son of Gertrude and the dead king, to see the ghost, it addresses Hamlet, declaring ominously that it is indeed his father’s spirit, and that he was murdered by none other than Claudius. Ordering Hamlet to seek revenge on the man who usurped his throne and married his wife, the ghost disappears with the dawn... A Tour de Force from the Golden Age of British Engraving As illustrated in the above accompanying detail photographs, Thew in his serendipitous collaboration with Boydell and Fuseli masterfully combines two different engraving techniques: Mezzotint to achieve the very dark, rich velvety tones on the far left of the scene (where watchman Marcellus is emerging from the black Palace entrance) and the brighter half-tones of the Horatio's and Hamlet's garments. On the right aquatint is generously used in different gradations to render the more complex light and dark shadows of the cloud of light emanating from behind the ghost's helmeted head. Its halo of shining light illuminates the spirit's massive and tensed stature, its sword-backed message, its riveting, magnetic, eye contact with Hamlet and its haunting other worldliness. The Publisher John Boydell is easily one of England's most remarkable 18th century personalities. Born in poverty, he began his career as an engraver of small book plates. At this time England was at a very low ebb as a serious center for the visual arts (particularly engraving) and Boydell sought to eradicate this situation by beginning a second career as a publisher of fine prints. Modest initial experiments in the 1760's led to a rapid expansion of his business and during the 1770's he published his striking series of mezzotint engravings, Liber Veritas, engraved by Richard Earlom after the drawings of Claude Lorrain. This ambitious undertaking put England back on the printmaking map and was a huge financial success for Boydell. He helped establish London as a major center for the arts. In 1791 Boydell was acknowledged for his efforts by being elected Lord Mayor of London. The same year marked the beginning of Boydell's most grandiose undertaking. His new publishing establishment in Pall Mall, 'The Shakespeare Gallery', began by commissioning the most esteemed painters and engravers in the country to create and design large and expensive engravings based upon the plays and life of William Shakespeare. By this time as well John Boydell's nephew, Josiah (1752-1817), had joined the firm. This monumental venture continued until Boydell's death thirteen years later. By that time, The Shakespeare Gallery had created and published one hundred and seventy engravings on a grand scale. Alas, the expenses for this vast project had been so large that England's foremost publisher of art ended his life the way he began, dying penniless. The Painter Henry Fuseli (1741 – 1825) was a brilliant Swiss painter, draughtsman and writer on art who spent much of his life in Britain. Many of his works, such as The Nightmare, deal with supernatural subject-matter. He painted numerous works for Boydell's Shakespeare Gallery, and created his own "Milton Gallery". He held the posts of Professor of Painting and Keeper at the Royal Academy. His style had a considerable influence on many younger British artists, including William Blake. Fuseli was considered a master of light and shadow. He painted more than 200 pictures, but he exhibited only a small number of them. His sketches or designs numbered about 800. In his drawings, as in his paintings, he was an explorer of body language. His method included deliberately exaggerating the proportions of the human body and placing his figures into dynamic poses and often contorted attitudes. The engraver Robert Thew Robert Thew (1758–1802) held the appointment of historical engraver to the Prince of Wales. He was born at in Yorkshire, where his father kept an inn. He received but little education, and for a time followed the trade of a cooper; but, possessing great natural abilities, he invented an ingenious camera obscura, and later took up engraving. Although entirely self-taught, he attained a high degree of excellence. In 1783 he went to Hull, where he resided for a few years, engraving at first shop-bills and tradesmen's cards. His earliest well-known work was a portrait of Harry Rowe, the famous puppet-show man. He later obtained from the Marquis of Carmarthen an introduction to John Boydell, for whose large edition of Shakespeare he engraved twenty-two plates after many of Boydell's stable of famous British painters. He also held the appointment of Historical Engraver to the Prince of Wales, and died shortly before August 1802.

Creator:
Henry Fuseli (1741 - 1821, Swiss)
Creation Year:
1796
Dimensions:
Height: 19.5 in (49.53 cm)Width: 25 in (63.5 cm)
Medium:
Engraving
Movement & Style:
Romantic
Period:
1790-1799
Condition:
Some light water stains in white margin that do not in any way affect the image, which is in excellent, spotless and perfect condition.
Gallery Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU5183335981

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