A 19th century painting of the heartbreaking last meeting between Hellelil and Hildebrand by Victorian painter Frederic William Burton hangs at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin, drawing thousands of visitors.
Titled The Meeting on the Turret Stairs, the watercolour painting was painted in 1864 and is iconic for its intricate details and beautiful use of colours. It depicts the final meeting of the lovers, prince Hildebrand and Hellelil as they embrace one final time before he dies a gruesome death, one that was hatched by Hellelil's father.
What is interesting, the painting that has now gone viral, can only be viewed for two hours a week. The painting, which is made using gouache, is extremely sensitive, leading to the extreme precautions by the gallery authorities.
Frederic William Burton's The Meeting on the Turret Stairs, stood the test of time, proving the immortality of the art. The painting was voted Ireland's favourite painting in 2012, nearly 150 years after it was painted.
The painter used a specific water-based paint called gouache to paint the lovers in such vivid colours. However, such paint is extremely sensitive to light and long exposure can cause the colours to fade eventually. Hence, the authorities of the National Gallery of Ireland only allows visitors to view the painting for two hours a week.
The Meeting on the Turret Stairs is open to visitors for an hour each on Thursdays and Sundays. Once the visiting hours are over, the painting is safely stored in a cabinet specifically designed for it. More than 160 years later, due to the meticulous caretaking, the painting still retains its original vibrancy.
The painting continues to mesmerise people from all around the world. Famous novelist George Eliot, who was a friend of Frederic Burton's, had said about the painting, "It might have been made the most vulgar thing in the world, [but] the artist has raised it to the highest pitch of refined emotion."
Frederic William Burton, largely influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite school of painters, was known as a famed watercolorist. His other popular paintings include, The Aran Fisherman's Drowned Child (1841), The Blind Girl at the Holy Well (1840), Faust's First Sight of Marguerite (1857), Daydreams (1863), among others.
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