The Agony in the Garden

William Blake (1757 - 1827)

Tate Collection

circa 1799 - 1800

Christ kneels in His agony with arms stretched out to either side. An angel leans out of the sky from a coloured cloud and clasps His waist. Three disciples crouch among the trees on either side. This work is part of a collection of works by William Blake belonging to the late Graham Robertson and was included in his sale at Christie's in 1949. Graham Robertson, painter, author and theatrical designer, was widely known as a Blake collector. At his death in 1948 he bequeathed 4 Blakes to the Nation; the rest of the collection was to be disposed of by auction. He had, however, left a very considerable estate to be given to charities. This allowed his Executors to instruct the auctioneers that some of the drawings should be acquired for certain museums up to defined limits. In this way 20 works, totalling £40,281 were given by the Executors, through the Art Fund, to 6 public collections.

• Medium: tempera on iron
• Dimensions: 25 x 37 cm
• ArtFunded in: 1949
• Bequeathed by Executors of W. Graham Robertson through The Art Fund

Provenance

From the collection of Graham Robertson.

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