Mourir C'est Renaitre (Death and Immortality)
19th century
Medium
Wood engraving
Dimensions
plate: 8 7/8 x 5 5/8 in. (22.5 x 14.3 cm) sheet: 10 x 6 5/8 in. (25.4 x 16.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1932
Accession Number
32.36.67
Tags
Art Historical Context
*Mourir C'est Ren (Death and Immortality is a striking wood engraving from the early 19th century, as part of William Blake's visionary illustrations for Robert Blair's 1743 poem *The Grave*. Blake, pioneering Romantic artist and poet, designed this image, which captures the poem's meditation on death as a gateway to eternal life. The title, translating from French as "To Die is to be Reborn," evokes a nude male figure emerging triumphantly through grand doors—symbolizing the soul's passage from mortality to immortality. Measuring a modest plate size of 8 7/8 x 5 5/8 inches, it was produced vi...
About the Artist
Robert Blair|William Blake (British|British) · 1757 |1699 –1827 |1746
British, London 1757–1827 London|British, 1699–1746