'Job's Sacrifice', William Blake

Artwork details

Artist

William Blake (1757‑1827)

Title

Job's Sacrifice

From Illustrations to 'The Book of Job'

Date 1825, reprinted 1874

MediumLine engraving on paper

Dimensionsimage: 198 x 150 mm

Collection

Tate

Acquisition Purchased with the assistance of a special grant from the National Gallery and donations from the Art Fund, Lord Duveen and others, and presented through the the Art Fund 1919

Reference

A00029

On display at Tate Britain

Theme: BP Spotlights

Room: William Blake

Display caption

This is plate 18 of the set of twenty-one engraved illustrations to the 'Book of Job'. They were commissioned by Blake's friend, the artist John Linnell (1792-1882) and Blake worked on them from 1823 to 1825. We know from Linnell that the plates for this series were 'cut with the graver entirely on copper without the aid of [etching acid]'. The effects of darkness and light achieved by this method, combined with the recurring energy of pure line, are always appropriate to the subject. In this sense of unity, the 'Job' series ranks among Blake's supreme achievements as a printmaker… (read more)

August 2004