Ophelia (John William Waterhouse)

Ophelia
ArtistJohn William Waterhouse
Year1894
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions73.6 cm × 124.4 cm (29.0 in × 49.0 in)
LocationPrivate collection

Ophelia is a 1894 oil on canvas painting by the English painter John William Waterhouse,[1] depicting a character in William Shakespeare's drama Hamlet. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, a potential wife for Prince Hamlet. In the 1894 version by Waterhouse, Ophelia is depicted, in the last moments before her death, sitting on a willow branch extending out over a pond of lilies. Her royal dress strongly contrasts with her natural surroundings. Waterhouse has placed flowers on her lap and in her hair, tying her into her natural surroundings.[2]

  1. ^ "Ophelia, 1894 - John William Waterhouse". www.wikiart.org. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Waterhouse's Versions of Ophelia". www.victorianweb.org. Retrieved 3 February 2019.