Macbeth, Banquo and the Three Witches (Act II, Scene Ill)

Name/Title

Macbeth, Banquo and the Three Witches (Act II, Scene Ill)

Entry/Object ID

122.U.BFP.0001

Description

This scene from Shakespeare's Macbeth portrays two figures placed in the left front of the foreground, one reaching up and the other bending and reaching to the right towards a group of three figures in white as they float from the sky. The three witches or "the three sisters" appear several times in the play prophesying Macbeth's rise to King. The artist used dramatic lighting contrasting bright light in the upper left with the darker background, highlighting all of the figures. The hand coloring (red, blue and yellow) emphasizes the dramatic gestures of the foreground figures. The image fits into the Romantic movement of the period in Europe and Britain.

Artwork Details

Medium

Engraving

Subject

Shakspeare Macbeth - ACT I / SCENE III /// Macbeth, Banquo and the three witches. Engraving by J. Caldwall after H. Fuseli, 23 April 1798.

Made/Created

Artist

H. Fuseli (Painter) / Ja Caldwell (Engraver)

Date made

1798

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Outer

Height

31 in

Width

34-3/4 in

Depth

1 in

Dimension Description

Sight

Height

19-3/4 in

Width

24-5/8 in

Dimension Description

Image

Height

17-1/2 in

Width

23-1/2 in