The Entombment

William Blake (1757 - 1827)

Tate Collection

circa 1805

The body of Christ is laid upon a bier with the aged Nicodemus at His feet. The Virgin, in a black cloak and hood, is at the head, with St John and other mourners. In the centre beneath the arched entry to the tomb are three women, robed in black. This watercolour 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: pen and ink and watercolour on paper
• Dimensions: 41 x 30 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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