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The Tragic Actor (Rouvière in the role of Hamlet)

Black print on cream paper of a bearded man standing at center, dressed in a large cloak and tights, a sword at his feet.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • Black print on cream paper of a bearded man standing at center, dressed in a large cloak and tights, a sword at his feet.

Date:

1865–66

Artist:

Édouard Manet
French, 1832-1883

About this artwork

Édouard Manet’s etching depicts Philibert Rouvière in one of his most celebrated roles. The actor stands alone in theatrical lighting, with the diagonals of the rapier and shadows on the floor suggesting his violent state of mind. Rouvière is thought to have based his intense and physically exaggerated portrayal of Hamlet on Delacroix’s series of lithographs, two of which are on display nearby. Manet painted a nearly identical portrait of Rouvière as Hamlet in 1865, now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. He completed the painting and made this print after the actor’s death, possibly as a tribute.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Édouard Manet

Title

The Tragic Actor (Rouvière in the role of Hamlet)

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1865–1866

Medium

Etching and plate tone in black on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Image: 29.9 × 16.1 cm (11 13/16 × 6 3/8 in.); Plate: 32.6 × 17.8 cm (12 7/8 × 7 1/16 in.); Sheet: 36.9 × 22.1 cm (14 9/16 × 8 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

John H. Wrenn Memorial Collection

Reference Number

1962.807

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/15243/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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