Hellelil and Hildebrand by Frederic William Burton

“Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs” by Frederic William Burton depicts an imagined romantic moment from a story with a sad ending.

The story is taken from a medieval Danish ballad, which tells the story of Hellelil, who fell in love with her personal guard Hildebrand.

Her father disapproved of the relationship and ordered her seven brothers to kill the young prince. Burton portrays the final meeting of the two lovers.

Frederic William Burton

Frederic William Burton (1816 – 1900) was an Irish painter. Educated in Dublin, he visited Germany and Bavaria in 1842.

He then started a series of trips to various parts of Europe, which allowed him to develop a profound knowledge of the works of the Old Masters.

From 1851 he spent seven years working as a painter in the service of Maximilian II of Bavaria.

Later Burton became the third director of the National Gallery, London.

During the twenty years that he held this position, he was responsible for many important purchases, among them Leonardo da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks, and Hans Holbein the Younger’s Ambassadors.

The number of acquisitions made to the collection during his period of office amounts to more than 500.

Background to Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs

Burton’s friend Whitley Stokes translated the medieval Danish ballad of Hellelil and Hildebrand in 1855.
Burton never painted in oils. However, the intensity of the color in this water painting is similar to that of an oil painting.
Burton’s technique of layering the watercolor reflects his training as a miniaturist.
In 2012, in an Irish poll, this painting was chosen by public vote, as Ireland’s favorite painting.

Star-Crossed Lovers

“Star-Crossed Lovers” is a phrase used to describe a pair of lovers whose relationship is often frustrated by outside forces.

The term initially meant that the stars are working against the relationship. Astrological in origin, the phrase stems from the belief that the positions of the stars ruled over people’s fates, and is best known from the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare.

“A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life.”
– Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

“Star-Crossed Lovers” are often said to be doomed from the start. Famous examples exist in every culture and include:

Romeo and Juliet
Hellelil and Hildebrand
Pyramus and Thisbe
Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff
Lancelot and Guinevere
Tristan and Isolde
Hero and Leander
Pedro of Portugal and Inês de Castro
Pelléas and Mélisande
Troilus and Cressida
Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl
Layla and Majnun
Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai
Devdas and Paro (Parvati)
Paris of Troy and Helen of Sparta
Mark Antony and Cleopatra
Khosrow and Shirin
Heloise and Peter Abelard

Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs

Title: Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs
Artist: Frederic William Burton
Created: 1864
Medium: Watercolor and gouache on paper
Dimensions: Height: 95.5 cm (37.5 ″); Width: 60.8 cm (23.9 ″)
Museum: National Gallery of Ireland

Frederic William Burton

Artist: Frederic William Burton
Birth: 1816, Wicklow, Ireland
Died: 1900, London
Nationality: Irish
Notable Works:
- Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs

VISITOR NOTICE: The watercolor paintings need to be protected from the light. This painting can only be viewed on certain days and within specified times. Please consult the museum’s website for the dates and times.

Helellil and Hildebrand, The Meeting On The Turret Stairs

Hellelil and Hildebrand, The Meeting on the Turret Stairs, 1864.

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Hellelil and Hildebrand, Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Frederic William Burton
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William Frederic Burton

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Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Frederic William Burton
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