17. 1794.-Design from the 'Europe' of a Man at a Forge, with a Woman and a Youth. [Linnell.] Carefully coloured. 18. 1794.-A Young Man rescuing a Woman and Girl from a Conflagration. Identical, or nearly so, with the tail-piece to the 'Europe.' The colour rather harsh. 19. 1795.-The Lazar House, from Milton; called also 'The House of Death,' by Blake. [Butts.] Colour-printed. Very powerful and awful. Three of the diseased are writhing upon a mat on the ground, two others are behind. Death and Despair are also present, as in Milton. The former, a vast figure, with closed eyes, a prodigious beard like tongues of flame, and arrow-like fire darting around him, appears at the summit of the group, with outstretched arms and scroll, or, perhaps, windingsheet. The latter is a livid-green man, with a long bolt or goad in his hand, eyeing his victims with stony scrutiny. I have seen a duplicate of this great work, paler in tint. 20. 1795.-Elohim creating Adam. [Butts.] Colour-printed. The Creator is an amazingly grand figure, worthy of a primeval imagination or intuition. He is struggling, as it were, above Adam, who lies distended on the ground, a serpent twined around one leg. The colour has a terrible power in it; and the entire design is truly a mighty one-perhaps on the whole the greatest monument extant of Blake's genius. It looks as if he had literally seen (as he said)' those wonderful originals called in the sacred Scriptures the Cherubim, which were sculptured and painted on walls of temples, towers, cities, palaces,' and as if this were a reproduction of some such stupendous spectacle. 21. 1795.-Lamech and his two Wives. [Butts.] Colour-printed. Lamech looks with horrid remorse upon the young man he has slain his wives, beautifully grouped, cling together in dismay. Extra Blakeian in character and drawing. There is a great effect of dark sky and hills, their edges dimly defined in glimmering light. 22. 1795.-The Good and Evil Angels struggling for possession of a Child. [Butts.] Colour-printed. The Good Angel holds the Child-the Evil one, enveloped in flames, seeks to seize it; his eyes are mere sightless balls. A strong specimen of Blake's solid colour, and energetic form and action. 23. 1795.-Elijah mounted in the Fiery Chariot. Colour-printed. Elijah lays hold of the rein with his right hand: his left is upon a book placed on his knees. He is draped-but Elisha, who stands before him, with joined hands, lost in a flood of beard, is perfectly naked, and looks as ancient as Elijah. The horses seem compact of fire; fire flows out in place of chariot-wheels; behind Elijah, a sphere of rolling red flame; for sky, a blaze of VOL. II. P yellow. A magnificent work-awful and preterhuman in its impression, even to the length of the Prophets' beards. The colour very solid, and austerely luminous. A duplicate of this is somewhat more positive and less excellent in colour. Another duplicate has black, instead of yellow, behind and upon the rays. Given in Vol. I. Chap. XIV. 24. 1795.-Newton. [Butts.] Colour-printed. A sitting naked figure among the rocks, stooping with compasses, wherewith he is measuring on the ground. Remarkably grand in action and manner, and full in the colour of the sky and rocky bank, for the peculiar execution of which see p. 421, Vol. I. 25. 1797.-Young's Night Thoughts. Blake has taken the folio edition of Young, two volumes, an inlaid copy, and has executed his designs, 537 in number, so as to form a margin round the text. See Vol. I. p. 136. 26. 1799 (?). The Last Supper. [Butts.] Tempera. The group are reclined at table in the antique mode-a point seldom or never introduced in art. Judas is so absorbed in counting over the thirty pieces of silver covertly in the palm of his hand that he remains deaf to what is being said. The effect of the lights scintillates upon a dark ground. A very interesting and, on the whole, fine picture probably the one exhibited in the Academy (p. 140—1, Vol. I.). 27. 1799. Charity. [Butts.] Tempera. Charity is embodied in a female form: there are various other figures in the composition. 28. 1799.-Rachel giving Joseph the Coat of many Colours (?). [Butts.] Tempera. The aged Israel, the still blooming and lovely Rachel, and the naked boy Joseph, form a fine group of Blake's patriarchal style. Golden, but nearly colourless, in tint, with a blue sky. The supposed 'coat of many colours' is only coloured with a blue arabesque pattern. - 29. 1799. The Adoration of the Kings. [Butts.] Tempera. A pretty, sweet picture, with abundance of rich material. 30. 1799. The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.' (?) [Butts.] Tempera. An old man, a woman, an angel, and six children, under a fruit-tree; the woman is a charming figure. conception, if the subject is as surmised. 31. 1799 (?).-St. Matthew. [Butts.] Tempera. Interesting in Vigorously conceived. The Angel, typically associated with St. Matthew, is showing him a roll, written with blood-red characters of the Hebrew type-the record of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Matthew starts back amazed at the riches of the grace of God. 32. 1799 (?).—St. Mark. [Butts.] Tempera (?). 33. 1799. St. Luke. [Butts.] Tempera. He holds a pen, and is accompanied by the typical bull. Almost destroyed in surface. This picture, being dated, may be presumed to fix the date of the three companion-figures. 34. 1799 (?).-St. John. [Butts.] Tempera (?). 35. 1799. The child Christ taught by the Virgin to read. [Butts.] Tempera. An inferior specimen. 36. Circa 1799 (?). A spirit vaulting from a cloud SHAKESPEARE. The date is conjectured, from the statement (as above) that the work, one of Blake's first 'frescoes,' was painted many years before the date of the Catalogue (1809). 37. 1800.-The Crucifixion-the Soldiers casting lots for the Garments. [Butts.] Peculiarly treated-the Crucified Saviour, with the two thieves, being seen from behind, and the ground which lies before the cross appearing beyond. Very poetic, pictorial, and solemn in darkling effect. The soldiers form the foreground group, and have plenty of character and varied action. See p. 161, Vol. II. 38. Circa 1801.-*EIGHTEEN HEADS of the Poets. Tempera, or possibly oil. See p. 166, Vol. I. These heads are nearly life-size, each painted on a separate canvas; the heads themselves almost or quite colourless, with the character of sculptural busts, the accessories mostly coloured, within decorative limits, and illustrative of the author's genius or works. An interesting series. (a) Homer. Younger than he is usually represented, and full of life; one of the finest of the set, the colour well harmonised. Bay-wreath. Curiously enough, the illustrative accessories selected are the Mouse and Frog, very cleverly done, indicating no higher achievement in poetry than the Batrachomyomachia. (6) Euripides, or another of the Greek Tragedians. A good head. Oak-wreath. Accessories from classic legend. (c) Lucan. Accessories Cæsar, and the Decapitation of Pompey. (d) Dante. Vivid and grand : wreath and framing of bay, fine in decorative arrangement. Accessory, Ugolino. (e) Chaucer. Accessories, the Wife of Bath, &c. (f) Spenser. Accessories from the Faery Queen. (g) Tasso. Accessories, a figure of a woman in prayer, &c. (h) Shakespeare. Like the Droeshout portrait, which Blake rated highly (see p. 392, Vol. I.). Accessories, Hamlet and the Ghost. (i) Sidney. A good, portrait-like head, in armour. (j) Camoens. Undisguisedly one-eyed good. Accessory, an anchor. (k) Milton. More than usually worked up. Wreath of bay and oak intertwined. Accessories, the Serpent holding the apple in his mouth, and a harp against a palm-tree. (7) Dryden. Good; greatly dilapidated at one side. Accessory, Alexander's Feast. (m) Otway. An able, thoughtful head. Accessories, the City of Venice, unspeakably unlike it, and the appeal of Belvidera and Jaffier. (n) Pope. Wreath, ivy and other leaves. Accessories, Heloisa praying, and another female figure not easy to identify; both agreeable. (0) Young. Wreath, bramble and palm. Accessory, a figure which may stand for a Recording Angel. (p) Cowper. Still more colourless than usual. Wreath of lily-of-thevalley. Accessories, a dog and a school-boy. (g) Voltaire. Young and extremely sprightly. The wreath is distinguished from all the others by the variety and brightness of its floral colours-honeysuckle, convolvulus, pimpernel, &c.; a rather curious distinction, as one is not at all accustomed to associate the idea of Voltaire with any special vividness of natural beauty. Accessories, the Pucelle d'Orléans, (disappointing,) and some knights. (r) Hayley. A pleasing, youngish face. 39. 1802.-Portrait of Mr. Butts, Sen. [Butts.] Miniature. Half-length. An unpretending but by no means unsatisfactory example of miniature-painting. The sitter, with powdered hair and dark eyes, in an artillery uniform, holds a book. See Vol. I. p. 180, showing that this portrait was painted (wholly or partly) without nature. 40. 1802 (?).-*Adam naming the Beasts. [Butts.] Tempera. Bust: front face life-size. See p. 176-7, Vol. I. as to this subject, as frontispiece to Hayley's Ballads. 41. 1802. *Eve naming the Birds. [Butts.] Tempera. Bust front-face: life-size. The pretty turn of thought evidenced in this as connected with the preceding subject will not be missed. 42. 1802.-Portrait of the Rev. John Johnson. Miniature. See P. 171, Vol. I. 43. 1803.-The Riposo (Repose in the flight to Egypt). [Butts.] Described in Blake's letter, p. 184, Vol. I. The Riposo, No. 161, does not strictly correspond with the description, nor yet No. 76. 44. 1803.-*St. Paul preaching in Athens. [Butts.] Colour-printed. Mentioned on p. 184, Vol. I. 45. 1803.-*The three Maries, with the Angel at the Sepulchre. [Butts.] The Angel is just floating above the ground: the Maries, arrested by the sight, hold together, unknowing what to think. Very fine and mystic-looking. 46. 1803.-*The Death of the Virgin Mary-(inscribed) 'Then saith. He to the disciple, "Behold thy Mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.' [Butts.] Mary has just yielded up her breath: Angels attend her bed, head and foot. Above her, and within a rainbow composed of angel-heads, stands John. Impressive: the figures standing out almost wholly colourless upon à more than usually high-coloured background. 47. 1803.-*The Death of St. Joseph-(inscribed) 'Into Thine hand I commend my spirit: Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of Truth.' [Butts.] The companion design to the preceding, strictly corresponding with it in such details as the rainbow. The group of Joseph tended by Jesus and Mary is a fine one, and the effect of light and colour very vivid: though the general quality of execution aimed at is not in all respects that most suitable to Blake. 48. 1803.-The Sacrifice of Jephthah's Daughter. [Butts.] The loveliness and pathos of innocent girlhood could not be more gloriously expressed than in this figure of the fair young creature, perfectly naked and rose-chapleted, kneeling upon a lofty altar, full-fronting the spectator. Swathes of rushes for burning are behind her: at either side her tambourine and lyre. Two maidens stand sorrowfully at each angle of the altar. Jephthah kneels in front, his back turned, his arms wide-spread, invoking the Divine sanction upon the tremendous deed. To right and to left, clouds, here louring in brown, there blue, droop like heavy folds of curtain. This ranks among Blake's noblest designs. |