[THE ensuing Descriptive Catalogue a humble tribute to the soaring genius of the author of the Descriptive Catalogue'-is a complete list, as far as it was found practicable to compile one, of all Blake's original works. It was drawn up for the first edition of this book, 1863: it has now been carried on up to the present date, though with less particularity of research. This Catalogue takes no count of engravings; though it does include the works issued as separate designs in Blake's peculiar method of colour-printing. The term 'colour-printed' indicates these works; enough has been said on this curious question in other parts of the book to absolve me from discussing it here. The Catalogue was compiled by me, in the very great majority of instances, from immediate personal inspection of the works referred to; to the owners of which, uniformly courteous and accommodating to the utmost, my thanks are most sincerely tendered. In other instances, I have been indebted to Mr. Gilchrist's notes, or to other sources of information. The works which have not been thus seen, and some which, from one circumstance or another, have been seen hurriedly or imperfectly, are, as an unavoidable consequence, referred to in less detail than their relative importance might be found to deserve. The interest attaching to the great collection of Blake's works formed by his almost solitary purchaser, Mr. Butts, has induced me to specify which were once his, even in the instances where they have passed out of the family. The like is done with the works belonging to Mr. Linnell. The larger examples are roughly indicated in the catalogue; the standard of largeness for a water-colour or pencil-drawing being, of course, different from that for a tempera-picture. Something over a foot for the former, and towards two feet for the latter, may be assumed as the average minimum to which the sign of considerable size is attached; but this has been roughly, not accurately, and no doubt not always uniformly, estimated. The reader should also bear in mind that the exact relative excellence of the several works cannot be fully expressed work by work. It has already been explained elsewhere that the most complete, solid, and powerful works in colour left by Blake are to be found among his colour-printed designs. His water-colours are all, comparatively speaking, washy and slight: but some have a general character of strength, brilliancy, &c. of execution; and these may be spoken of below, with the needful implied reservation, as strong and brilliant. Some catalogue on the plan of the ensuing is peculiarly necessary in the case of Blake. His life consisted in imaginative insight, and in the embodiment of that insight in the form of art. The list of his paintings and designs is therefore a most important part of his life. I am in hopes that the extraordinary amount of original thought and invention which belongs to these works will be, to some extent, appreciable even through so imperfect a medium as that of an annotated Catalogue, and will render this somewhat less tedious to look through than would be the case with regard to most-or indeed to almost all --other artists. are I may add that ten of the subjects specified in this Catalogue have been etched (or lithographed) by Mr. William Bell Scott in his publication named William Blake (Chatto and Windus, 1878). They The Ascent of the Just; the Sea and Rainbow (which Mr. Scott identifies with the Deluge; the Semi-human Elephants; The Nativity; St. Matthew; The Babylonian Woman on the Sevenheaded Beast; The Creation of Eve; Adam and Eve watched by Satan; the Eating of the Forbidden Fruit; Adam's Vision of the Crucifixion.] |