Hamlet, met de schedel van Yorick in de hand 1855 - 1904

This print of Hamlet, skull in hand, was rendered by Léopold Flameng, after a sculpture by Lord Ronald Gower. Flameng was a master of the etching process. This technique involves coating a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant material, drawing an image into this ground, and then immersing the plate in acid. The acid bites into the exposed metal, creating lines that will hold ink. What you see here is, in a sense, the result of a controlled form of corrosion, carefully applied to yield this melancholic image of contemplation. Like all intaglio prints, making this image required a laborious process: the plate had to be inked, wiped, and then run through a press with dampened paper to pull the image. The beauty of the print is inseparable from the skill and labor involved in its creation, a translation of sculpture into another medium altogether. The social context here is interesting too, referring to the cultural phenomenon of 'bardolatry' in the 19th century, with Shakespeare as a symbol of culture, class, and British national identity.