1-6) Plates from The First Book of Urizen; 7) Plate from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; 8) Plate from The Book of Thel

William Blake (1757 - 1827)

Tate Collection

1796

These 8 hand-coloured relief etching are drawn from his illustrated books, The First Book of Urizen, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and The Book of Thel. They offer a sublime and physical drama involving a range of characters and poetic motifs. Six of the eight plates are drawn from the First Book of Urizen, the 'illuminated book' considered by scholars to be Blake's most insistent and powerful meditation upon the body, one which connects with the contemporary culture of the Gothic. Perhaps nowhere else in Blake's printed works is it possible to encounter, with such perfect directness, the essential viscerality of his art.

• Medium: etching on paper
• Dimensions: various
• Art Fund Grant: £141070 ( Total: £441,570; Tax Remission)
• ArtFunded in: 2009
• Vendor: Private collection

Provenance

The artist's widow; Frederick Tatham. The work has been vetted by the Art Loss Register.

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