vine-leaves; his soul, a female figure expressive of coarse passions, contemplates him with repulsion. Scratchy and rather ugly in execution. 16. 1805.-A young Man entering Death's Door. Indian ink. Probably a preparatory version of 'The Soul exploring the Recesses of the Grave.' 17. 1805.-A Design originally intended for Blair's 'Grave.'-'The Soul exploring the Recesses of the Grave (?).' Slightly washed with Indian ink. A figure in an ascending action at the summit of a monument, with another below precipitated into the dark void. Somewhat outré, and not the same composition as in the engraving. 18. 1805.-The Death of the Strong Wicked Man-Blair's 'Grave.' A very slovenly sketch of the principal figure in the engraved design, along with the Soul, which is here more in the attitude adopted in the engraving for The Soul hovering over the Body.' See No. 15, and p. 269, Vol. I. 19. 1805.—The Ascension of the beatified Soul (?). On the back of the preceding. The figure assumed to represent the soul is rising into the air from amid several other figures, and about to ascend through a pointed arched window. Very slight. 20. 1805.-Plague. An expressive and reasonably careful sketch for the grand water-colour No. 61, List 1, engraved Chap. VII., Vol. I. 21. Circa 1805 (?).-'Let loose the Dogs of War.' See p. 55, Vol. I. A savage cheering on hounds, who seize a man by the throat. Very fine. Evidently connected with a design engraved in Young's' Night Thoughts,' though by no means identical with it. 22. 1806.-*Sketch for the Design of the Dedication to Blair's 'Grave.' Rather slight, but the intention fully expressed. A sketch for No. 78, List I. 23. 1806 (?).-* For the Grave.' So marked (not in Blake's handwriting). A sketchy beginning of a very elaborate composition. It may be conjectured to represent the Human Spirit and Life in various conditions. The central point is a number of figures floating round a tree (the Tree of Life, or of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?); other figures are dragging their fellows along, or being dragged, falling, praying, and so on. Like the following two, interesting and full of matter. A most elaborately planned treatment of the subject, crowded with figures, neatly and distinctly drawn: corresponding (at all events, in various points) with the composition described in the 'Vision of the Last Judgment,' p. 181; not like the one in Blair's 'Grave.' Christ appears at the summit; before Him, VOL. II. S Adam and Eve, standing; at the bottom, the Devil, tripleheaded; to Christ's right, the Just ascending; to His left, the Condemned cast downwards. Marked 'The Original Drawing of Blake's Last Judgment.' Very interesting. Now in the possession of Dr. Aspland. 25. 1807.-*The same. A tracing from a completer version of the preceding design; the whole scheme of the subject being more fully shown, the number of figures still greater. Inscribed by Mr. Tatham: 'A tracing of an elaborate drawing of his Last Judgment. The original picture was six feet long and about five wide, and was very much spoiled and darkened by over-work; and is one of those alluded to in his Catalogue as being spoiled by the spirits of departed artists, or "blotting and blurring demons." This tracing is from some elaborate drawing which has never been engraved.' 26. 1809 or earlier.-The Spirit of Nelson guiding Leviathan, in whose Folds are entangled the Nations of the Earth. So marked at the back by Blake. Nelson, a naked figure, stands in the middle, with the convolutions of the serpentine Leviathan, and heads and limbs of other human figures therein, rising on each side of him. A hasty and rather slovenly sketch, preparatory, no doubt, to the picture, List 1, No. 94, referred to in the Descriptive Catalogue, p. 139, Vol. II. 27. From 1789 to 1811, at least.-THE BOOK of Sketches and MS. belonging to Mr. Rossetti (see page 88, Vol. I.) contains a number of sketches more or less slight, first thoughts of designs, &c.; among them the following: (a) A tiger-like animal frightening a man, who escapes out of window below, another head of the tiger. Pen and ink. The lower head especially, which has a very actual character, and yet looks as if it might have been a 'vision,' is capital. (b) Various sketches of a frightful gigantic old man devouring a human being. Perhaps Lucifer with Judas, from Dante's 'Hell'; but not corresponding with the design in the Dante series. (c) 1810 (?). The Portrait of Blake engraved at Chap. XXXIV., Vol. I. On the same page is this curious entry: 23 May, 1810, found the Word golden.'-Does 'the Word 'mean 'the Bible'? (d) A Vision of Fear, and a Vision of Hope. The Fear is two men precipitated through space, in the folds of a serpent: the Hope is most peculiar merely a view of long human hair from the back of the head, gently waving. Perhaps Blake was thinking of the line, 'And Hope enchanting smiled, and waved her golden hair.' (e) 1789, &c. 1793-5.-Several sketches for designs in ‘Thel' and other Prophetic Books, and for the 'Gates of Paradise, and 'Elohim creating Adam.' Pencil, or Indian ink occasionally. (f) Sketches bearing the following titles or mottoes, or of the (f1) 'Are glad when they can find the grave.' Holds in perfection but a little moment.'-SHAKESPEARE. An expanded flower, with two elfish habitants, one mounting, the other sinking. (h) A Cupid, or Infant, in a cage. 'A fairy vision Of some gay creatures of the element That in the colours of the rainbow live.' Elves sporting in a rainbow. 'As Daphne was root-bound.'-MILTON. Daphne changing into a laurel-tree. (k) 'Murder.' An assassin approaching a sleeping man in bed. (1) A man about to throw himself off a cliff, held back by the (m) Yet cannot I persuade me thou art dead.'-MILTON. A mother gazing mournfully, yet tranquilly, upon a dead infant n) 'Whose changeless brow ne'er smiles nor frowns.'—THOMSON. 28. 1815.-The Laocoön. A very careful drawing from the antique group. See Vol. I. p. 297. Also another such drawing, partly worked with the pen. 29. 1815.-Jupiter, and other figures from antique marbles. Drawn for the same purpose as the preceding. The glory round the head of the Jupiter is composed of figures. 30. 1819 and 1820.-VISIONARY HEADS. [Linnell.] For some account of these most curious and often most characteristic and excellent heads, see pp. 300-3, &c. Vol. I. The 'King Saul,' mentioned on p. 302, is not to be found among them. 31. 1819, 18th Oct.-The Builder of the Pyramids, and the Place where Blake saw this Personage. The head is engraved Chap. XXVIII., Vol. I. 32. David. Radiant eyes, and a Young, as he went up against Goliath. 33. Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba. A heavy, stupid man, with a huge cerebellum and enormous bull-neck. L Age about forty; a piercing, reflective, sensuous Jewish head, the eye exceedingly far back from the line of the nose, the chin blunt and very large. Admirable. 36. Nebuchadnezzar. Vivid, and not wanting in truth to the Assyrian cast of countenance. Below the head is a 'coin' of Nebuchadnezzar, engraved in Varley's 'Zodiacal Physiognomy.' 37. Joseph and Mary, and the Room they were seen in. They are both very young-Mary with a good deal of our contemporary 'præ-Raffaelite' character. The room they were seen in is a bedroom, wherein are an elderly man and two children. 38. Socrates. Vivid eye, talking mouth. 39. Mahomet. Something like Mrs. Blake according to Mr. Linnell: there is a kind of hint too of the semi-nude Dr. Johnson in St. Paul's. The mouth has a grim smilingness in it; the forehead is very retreating but powerful. Fine. 40. Cassibelane, the British Chief. Quite a civilised personage; as Mr. Linnell says, fit for the head man at Howell and James's. 41. Boadicea. A less exaggerated instance of the contour of face seen in the Builder of the Pyramids, Chap. XXVIII., Vol. I. Strong character. 42. Caractacus. A most powerful head, with high features, great dark eyes, and compressed forehead, singularly true to the conception of a lordly and vigorous-minded barbarian. There is a curious resemblance, too, to the Caractacus in the fresco which Mr. Watts sent to Westminster Hall, though that is considerably toned down in comparison. 43. Canute. Marked 'Dark hair and eyes'-The latter extremely open, and gazing upward; the jaw heavily rounded, like that of an obese Frenchman. Not one of the best. 44. An Anglo-Norman King. 45. The Empress Maud, Mother to Henry II. The remains of a fine woman, but disagreeable; the nose peaked, the mouth disdainful and supercilious. 46. Queen Eleanor. Handsome not very interesting. 47. 1819, 13th Oct.-Richard Cœur de Lion. Marked 'Drawn from his spectre, quarter-past twelve, midnight.' Bluntish features, steady, daring gaze: the kind of man to look everything, from the devil upwards, in the face. (A second very slight profile of Cœur de Lion is also in the series.) 48. King John. A little like the accepted head of King John, wonderfully subtle and daring. Seems too noble for this bête noire of English history. As a work of art, one of the very finest of the series. 49. Falconbridge, the Bastard. A thorough fighter, with a bull-head a little like his lion-hearted father. 50. Saladin. The kind of head that might do for John the Evangelist. 51. Edward I. Engraved Chap. XXVIII., Vol. I. 52. William Wallace. Engraved Chap. XXVIII., Vol. I. 53. A Welsh Bard. 54. The Assassin lying dead at the feet of Edward I. in the Holy Land. A leonine face; almost literally so. 55. Edward III. (?) A fine bearded head. 56. Edward III. as he exists in the Spiritual World. Engraved Chap. XXVIII., Vol. I. 57. 1819, 30th Oct.-Wat Tyler. Marked 'By William Blake, from his spectre, as in the act of striking the Tax-gatherer on the head: 1 hour A.M.' A capital head with stubbly beard, such as would make a good study for an artist's cartoon of the subject. 58. Wat Tyler's Daughter. A laughing plebeian, with great eyes. 59. Owen Glendower. A surly, supercilious, unpleasant head, well realised. 60. Hotspur. 61. A wonderfully vivid image of an audacious fighting man, born to fight, who will gain by dash what he has discovered to be gainable by instantaneous coup d'œil. Friar Bacon and the Poet Gray. So inscribed, but not by Blake. Very slight; on the same piece of paper. |