Frederic William Burton’s masterpiece, “Hellelil and Hildebrand, The Meeting on the Turret Stairs,” is a stunning watercolour painting that depicts the clandestine meeting between the two lovers, Hellelil and Hildebrand, on a turret stairway. The painting is known for its exquisite attention to detail and emotional depth, capturing the intense and tragic romance between the two protagonists.
The use of watercolour lends a soft and ethereal quality to the artwork, enhancing the tender yet tragic nature of the scene. Burton’s meticulous attention to the interplay of light and shadow creates a sense of drama and intimacy, drawing the viewer into the emotional heart of the painting.
Although Burton never painted in oils, the intensity of hue in the watercolor painting is similar to that of an oil painting. This precise layering of watercolour reflects Burton’s early training as a miniaturist, adding to the depth and richness of the artwork.
Hellelil and Hildebrand, The Meeting on the Turret Stairs
The composition of the painting is carefully balanced, with the central figures of Hellelil and Hildebrand locked in a moment of tender embrace, while the surrounding architecture of the turret stairway adds a sense of grandeur and timelessness to the scene.
“Hellelil and Hildebrand, The Meeting on the Turret Stairs” is a masterpiece of Victorian watercolour art, celebrated for its emotional intensity, technical mastery, and timeless depiction of love and longing.
The painting is housed in the National Gallery of Ireland.
Hellelil and Hildebrand, A Medieval Danish Ballad
Frederic William Burton’s masterpiece, “Hellelil and Hildebrand, The Meeting on the Turret Stairs,” is based on a medieval Danish ballad translated by Burton’s friend Whitley Stokes in 1855. It is the tragic story of Hellelil, who fell in love with her personal guard, Hildebrand, Prince of Engelland. The ballad recounts their secret love affair and forbidden romance, the dramatic events that unfold, and the poignant themes of love and loss.
The painting captures a romantic moment from the story before the tragic end: the final meeting of the two lovers.
The painting’s exquisite attention to detail and emotional depth captures the intense and tragic romance between the two protagonists, embodying the poignant themes of love and longing from the medieval Danish ballad.
The translation of the same poem by William Morris called Hildebrand And Hellelil is more famous.
Hellelil sitteth in bower there,
None knows my grief but God alone,
And seweth at the seam so fair,
I never wail my sorrow to any other one.
But there whereas the gold should be
With silk upon the cloth sewed she.
Where she should sew with silken thread
The gold upon the cloth she laid.
To read the entire poem follow this link: Hildebrand and Hellelil. Translated from the Danish” from Poems by the Way (1891)
