'Title-Page of 'The Book of Job'', William Blake

Artwork details

Artist

William Blake (1757‑1827)

Title

Title-Page of 'The Book of Job'

From Illustrations to 'The Book of Job'

Date 1825, reprinted 1874

MediumLine engraving on paper

Dimensionsimage: 191 x 147 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

T05845

View this artwork by appointment, at Tate Britain's Prints and Drawings Rooms

Display caption

In the early 1800s Blake painted for his patron Thomas Butts a series of watercolours illustrating 'The Book of Job'. In 1821 the artist John Linnell commissioned a second set, and then in 1823 drew up a formal agreement with Blake for a series of engravings. Altogether twenty-one subjects were engraved by Blake, together with this title-page. The title is given in ornate lettering, and is repeated on the upper line in Hebrew. The publication line states that the prints were issued on 8 March 1825, but in fact they do not seem to have been ready until early 1826.

August 2004