Illustrations of the Book of Job: The Linnell Collection of Trial States of the Plates
1825
Medium
unbound portfolio with 66 engravings on various papers and vellum including proofs drawn into by Blake
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.1653-1718
Art Historical Context
William Blake's *Illustrations of the Book Job: The Linnell of Trial States of the* (1825) represents the pinnacle of the visionary artist's late-career genius. A poet, painter, and master printmaker of the Romantic era, Blake this series of 21 copper plates (yielding 66 engravings) to interpret the biblical story of Job's trials through dramatic, symbolic imagery. Working in his innovative "illuminated printing" technique—relief etching that fused text and image—Blake produced these as one of his final major projects, published in 1826 with patron John Linnell's support. This unbound portfol...
About the Artist
William Blake · 1757–1827
William Blake (1757–1827) stands as one of the most visionary and unconventional artists in British history, a poet-painter-printmaker whose mystical imagination and radical vision profoundly shaped the Romantic movement. Born in London's Soho district, Blake experienced visions from childhood—claiming to see angels in trees at age eight—and these spiritual encounters would guide his art throughou...