A bearded robed figure crouches on a cloud, with winged beings and other creatures above him and at his side, and a group of people kneeling on the ground below him.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

The figure at center crouches, perched on a band of clouds with his arms outstretched, his long beard flowing over his knees. To his right, a winged being with a crescent moon over her head holds reins attached to a pair of serpent-like creatures. To the left of him, a winged being with a sun behind his head drives four horses in front of him. Above the bearded figure, a line of robed winged beings stand singing on a thin cloud, their arms outstretched and stars visible behind them. At bottom, a group of four men and one woman kneel on the ground looking upward at the bearded figure. The whole image is bordered by biblical text and scenes from the creation story.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
M10461
People
William Blake, British (London, England 1757 - 1827 London, England)
Title
"When the morning stars sang together,"
Other Titles
Series/Book Title: Book of Job
Classification
Prints
Work Type
print
Date
c. 1823
Culture
British
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/257730

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Engraving on white wove paper
Technique
Engraving
Dimensions
plate: 20.8 x 16.6 cm (8 3/16 x 6 9/16 in.)
sheet: 35 x 25.7 cm (13 3/4 x 10 1/8 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: in plate, lower right: Proof
  • inscription: in image, lower left: WBlake Invenit & Sc
  • inscription: in plate, lower center: London. Published as the Act directs March 8:1823 by Will Blake N3 Fountain Court Strand
  • inscription: in plate, upper right: 14

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Grenville Lindall Winthrop, New York, bequest; to Fogg Art Museum, 1943

State, Edition, Standard Reference Number

State
iii, proof
Standard Reference Number
Binyon 119

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
M10461
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Blake to Beardsley: A Century of English Illustrators, exh. cat., Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1944), no. 19

Exhibition History

  • Blake to Beardsley: A Century of English Illustrators, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 06/01/1944 - 06/30/1944

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Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu