Alexandre Bida

In 1880, the publishing house Hachette decided to produce a third edition of its popular illustrated "Works of William Shakespeare." Bida was commissioned to design the illustrations, having successfully illuminated the Bible and the works of Moliére. The five chalk drawings in the Morgan's collection were preliminary studies that served as the basis for a set of watercolors. Forty watercolors related to the project were sold with Bida's estate in 1896 and are now in the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC.
In this episode from "Henry V" (IV, 6), Bida depicts a scene that is recounted by the Duke of Exeter to his nephew, King Henry V, on the battlefield of Agincourt. Exeter reports that though the English have made great strides against their French enemy, two noble cousins, the Duke of York and the Earl of Suffolk, have been killed. Mortally wounded, the Duke of York approaches the corpse of his cousin, puts his hand on Suffolk's wounded neck, and kisses his lips before dying. Both King Henry V and Exeter are moved to tears by the story.