WILLIAM BLAKE (1757-1827)

Property from the Collection of DIAN WOODNER and ANDREA WOODNER

细节

WILLIAM BLAKE (1757-1827)

Los and his spectre (Cf. Bindman 485)

relief etching in blue-green and black with extensive hand-coloring in watercolors by the artist, circa 1808-12, on wove paper without watermark, the colors fresh, a unique proof of the bottom portion of plate 6, "His spectre driven by the starry wheels", from Jerusalem--The Emanation of the Giant Albion, the tip of the top left corner lacking, occasional pale staining showing only on the reverse, remains of old paper tape and glue at the reverse of the left sheet edge, otherwise in very good condition
S. 5 11/16 x 6 3/8in. (145 x 162mm.)

来源

Evans, by 1863
Horace E. Scudder, and by descent to Mrs. Ingersoll Bowditch, and by descent to Franklin G. Balch III
Richard Cole, 1968, and by descent to Mrs. Jack Greenberg
Ian Woodner, 1984, and by descent to the present owners

出版

M. Rossetti, Annotated Catalogue of Blake's Pictures and Drawings, London, 1863, p. 207, no. 49
M. Rossetti, Annotated Catalogue of Blake's Pictures and Drawings, London, 1880, p. 214, no. 55
Raine, Blake and Tradition, ??, 1968, pp. 23 and 287, no. 54 Bentley, Blake Books, ??, 1977, pp. 227 and 262
M. Butlin, The Paintings and Drawings of William Blake, New Haven and London, 1981, p. 442, no. 576, pl. 810a

展览

Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Exhibition of Drawings, Watercolors and Engravings by William Blake, 1880, no. 5
Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Exhibition of Books, Watercolors, Engravings etc. by William Blake, 1891, no. 8b
Cambridge, Massachusetts, Fogg Art Museum, Exhibition of Water-Colors and Drawings by William Blake, October-November 1947, no. 12

拍品专文

Mr. Robert Essick and Professor Joseph Viscomi have suggested a date of 1807-8 for the printing of this impression. They have noted a similarity between the blue-green and black ink tones of this sheet and that used in the printing of America, a Prophecy, copy M, which is known to have been executed during those years.

First recorded by Michael Rossetti in 1863 as "A Man at an anvil talking to a Spirit" it has now been suggested by Mr. Essick and Professor Viscomi that Los and his spectre is one of twelve hand-colored plates from Jerusalem exhibited by Blake at the Royal Watercolour Society in London in 1812. Therefore it is likely that Los and his spectre was hand-colored prior to 1812.

The unusual tomato-red color which is used as a highlight in this image also occurs in the coloring of the impression of plate 51 from Jerusalem formerly in the Collection of Sir Geoffrey Keynes, now in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, England.

We are grateful to Mr. Robert Essick and to Professor Joseph Viscomi for their assistance in the cataloguing of this lot.