Rev. John Caspar Lavater of Zurich

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, verso midden, gestempeld: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

William Blake’s engraving of Rev. John Caspar Lavater Zurich offers a striking portrait of the Swiss theologian, poet, and physiognomist who profoundly influenced late-eighteenth-century thought on character and expression. Created between 1787 and 1800, the work reflects Blake’s deep engagement with Lavater’s ideas, which aligned with the artist’s own interest in the visible signs of inner spirit. Blake, a visionary figure of the Romantic movement, mastered engraving to achieve both precision and emotional intensity. In this print he employs fine linear detail and subtle tonal modulation to ...

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...