Ophelia c. 1868 - 1871

drawing, paper

drawing

amateur sketch

toned paper

light pencil work

16_19th-century

pencil sketch

incomplete sketchy

paper

personal sketchbook

german

ink drawing experimentation

sketch

sketchbook drawing

watercolour illustration

sketchbook art

Victor Müller’s *Ophelia* (c. 1868–71) is a preliminary study for a larger painting. The drawing, executed in graphite on paper, depicts the figure of Ophelia, a character from Shakespeare's *Hamlet*. It captures Ophelia’s final moments, as she sinks beneath the water, her long hair flowing around her body like seaweed. The drawing is a study of the figure's composition and the dramatic effects of light and shadow, and is held in the collection of the Städel Museum.