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The Meeting on the Turret Stairs – Frederic William Burton

The Meeting on the Turret Stairs – Frederic William Burton

$120.00 AUD
$120.00 AUD
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Frederic William Burton

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On a spiral stair, a knight in mail catches a woman's hand as she passes and presses his mouth to her forearm. She does not look at him. Her face is bowed and turned away, her blue sleeve falling across his shoulder, and in a moment she will keep climbing. He is on his way down to the fight that kills him.

That is the whole painting. Frederic William Burton finished it in 1864.

The ballad behind it

The story is a medieval Danish ballad, which Burton knew through a translation published in Fraser's Magazine in 1855 by his friend Whitley Stokes. Hellelil, a king's daughter, loves Hildebrand, the prince who guards her. Her father sends her seven brothers to kill him. Before the fight Hildebrand gives her one instruction — whatever happens, do not speak my name — and when she cries it out to save the youngest brother, the hesitation is enough to end him.

Out of a ballad with seven corpses in it, Burton painted a kiss on a sleeve. Their faces never meet. Nothing in the picture tells you either of them is about to die, except that every line of it — the descending stair, the turn of her body, the mail across his back — has them already moving in opposite directions.

The full story of the painting — the ballad, the vote, and the man who gave up painting at fifty-eight — is here.

Why you can almost never see it

The original is watercolour and gouache on paper, 95.5 × 60.8 cm, and it hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland as NGI.2358, bequeathed by Margaret McNair Stokes — Whitley's sister — in 1900. Gouache on paper fades, so the Gallery keeps it in a light-protective cabinet and brings it out for two hours a week: Thursdays from 11.30am and Sundays from 2pm, in Room 20, at lowered light.

Which is the strangest thing about the best-known painting in Ireland. Almost nobody has stood in front of it. In 2012 an RTÉ and An Post public vote made it Ireland's favourite painting — it took 22% and put Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ second — and most of the people who voted for it knew it from photographs. In 2026 it found a new audience on TikTok, and the Sunday queue now runs back out into the courtyard.

So most people who love this painting live with it in another form.

The print

Printed on 250gsm archival matte fine art paper with pigment inks — acid-free, uncoated, off-white. The tonal transitions in the blue of Hellelil's robe are the whole picture, and matte paper holds them; the mail and the stonework carry their detail at both sizes.

  • 30 × 45 cm / 12 × 18″
  • 60 × 90 cm / 24 × 36″
  • Unframed, or framed in white, black or natural wood — solid FSC-certified timber, shatter-resistant glazing, delivered ready to hang

Also available on stretched canvas. More of Burton's work is in the Frederic William Burton collection, and the wider Irish art prints collection.

Every print is open edition, made to order and shipped worldwide free. There is no numbered run and no reason to hurry.

Questions about this print

Where is the original Meeting on the Turret Stairs, and can I see it?
It hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland as NGI.2358: watercolour and gouache on paper, 95.5 × 60.8 cm, bequeathed by Margaret McNair Stokes in 1900. Because gouache fades, the Gallery keeps it in a light-protective cabinet and shows it for two hours a week, on Thursdays from 11.30am and Sundays from 2pm, in Room 20. Check the Gallery's website for current times before you travel.

What is the story behind the painting?
It illustrates a medieval Danish ballad about Hellelil, a king's daughter, and Hildebrand, the prince who guards her. Her father sends her seven brothers to kill him. Burton knew the ballad from a translation by his friend Whitley Stokes, published in Fraser's Magazine in 1855, and finished the painting in 1864. He chose to show a single kiss on a sleeve, with the two figures already moving apart.

Is this really Ireland's favourite painting?
Yes. In 2012 an RTÉ and An Post public vote chose it as Ireland's favourite painting, with 22% of the vote. Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ came second.

What sizes and frames are available, and what does it cost?
The size and frame selector on this page shows every option with its exact price. Unframed prints across the shop start at €55 and framed prints at €120. Frames come in black, white or natural wood and arrive ready to hang with shatter-resistant glazing; framing is offered at selected sizes only. The print is made on archival, acid-free matte paper with pigment inks. Every size and price is listed on the print prices, sizes and framing page, and there is also a canvas version.

How long does delivery take, and what if it arrives damaged?
Every print is made to order and dispatched within 2–5 business days, and shipping is free worldwide. After dispatch, delivery takes 3–7 business days in Ireland, 4–8 in the UK, 5–10 in the USA, 6–12 in Canada and 7–14 in Australia, with tracking by email. If your print arrives damaged or defective, email info@buyirishart.com within 14 days of delivery with a photo and we will replace it or refund you in full. Because every print is made to order, we cannot accept returns for a change of mind. See Shipping & Delivery and the refund policy.

The original: Frederic William Burton (1816–1900), Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs, 1864. Watercolour and gouache on paper, 95.5 × 60.8 cm. National Gallery of Ireland, NGI.2358. Bequeathed, Margaret McNair Stokes, 1900.

Framed in black, natural wood or white, or unframed. Printed on archival matte paper and made to order.

Frame options and sizes
Frame finishes
  • Black — ash
  • Natural wood — oak
  • White — ash
All frames are 20 mm deep, made from responsibly sourced timber.
Glazing
Shatterproof clear acrylic — lighter than glass.
Paper
Archival matte paper — uncoated, off-white, acid-free and FSC-certified. No gloss, no laminate.
Sizes
  • 30x45 cm / 12x18″ — Unframed, black, natural wood, white
  • 40x60 cm / 16x24″ — unframed only
  • 60x90 cm / 24x36″ — Unframed, black, natural wood, white
  • 100x150 cm / 40x60″ — unframed only
Hanging
Framed prints arrive ready to hang, with a hanging kit for portrait or landscape. Unframed prints arrive without a frame — up to A4 ship flat, larger sizes ship rolled in a protective tube.
Care
For indoor use. Keep out of direct sunlight and away from damp. Dust with a dry cloth; wipe the acrylic with a soft, slightly damp cloth.
Shipping
Free worldwide shipping. Made to order and sent from the production hub closest to you — Ireland 3–7 business days, UK 4–8, USA 5–10, Canada 6–12, Australia 7–14. Framed prints are boxed with protective corners and internal supports.
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