Artwork

Hamlet Delivering a Letter Written by Himself to the Queen of Scotland

Hamlet Delivering a Letter Written by Himself to the Queen of Scotland is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Nicolai Abildgaard. It dates from 1788 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.

About this work

Overview

Nicolai Abildgaard's 1788 oil painting, Hamlet Delivering a Letter Written by Himself to the Queen of Scotland, is a work that blends neoclassical training with rococo elements. It is held in the Statens Museum for Kunst collection.

Subject & Meaning

The painting depicts a scene from the Amleth legend, showing a figure in armor, likely Amleth, presenting a scroll to a crowned woman, Hermuthruda, amidst a gathering of soldiers and attendants. The scene is set in a dimly lit, antiquated space.

Technique & Style

Abildgaard employs chiaroscuro, a technique using strong contrasts between light and dark, to create a dramatic atmosphere. The use of bright colors against a dark background highlights key figures and adds to the scene's tension.

History & Provenance

Completed in 1788 by Abildgaard, a professor at the New Royal Danish Academy of Art, the painting is now part of the Statens Museum for Kunst collection.

Artist & collection

Artist

Nicolai Abildgaard

Nicolai Abraham Abildgaard (11 September 1743 – 4 June 1809) was a Danish neoclassical and royal history painter, sculptor, architect, and professor of painting, mythology, and anatomy at the New Royal Danish Academy of Art in Copenhagen…