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A prone figure lying on a bed, terrified by a creature above him and devils below him

At center, a man lies prone on a bed surrounded by flames. From under the bed, creatures with pointed ears and scaly skin grab up at his feet and legs while another attempts to throw a chain over him. Floating directly above and parallel, is a figure with a flowing beard, pointed hair and a cloven hoof. As a snake spirals around him, the figure points with his left hand to stone tablets looming behind him. With his right he reaches around the head of the prone man and points down to the flames.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.422
People
William Blake, British (London, England 1757 - 1827 London, England)
Title
With Dreams Upon My Bed Thou Scarest Me and Affrightest Me with Visions (The Book of Job)
Other Titles
Series/Book Title: The Book of Job
Alternate Title: Job's Evil Dreams
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
1821
Culture
British
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/297593

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Watercolor, black ink and graphite on cream laid paper
Dimensions
23.6 x 28.7 cm (9 5/16 x 11 5/16 in.)

Provenance

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

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.422
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

THIS WORK MAY NOT BE LENT BY THE TERMS OF ITS ACQUISITION TO THE HARVARD ART MUSEUMS.

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Publication History

  • Agnes Mongan, "The Fogg Art Museum's Collection of Drawings", Harvard Library Bulletin, Harvard University (Cambridge, 1958), vol. 3, no. 2, March, pp. 5-9, p. 202
  • Martin Butlin, The Paintings and Drawings of William Blake, Yale University Press (New Haven, CT and London, England, 1981), no. 551 (11), pl. 743
  • David Bindman, ed., William Blake's Illustrations to the Book of Job, The William Blake Trust (London, England, 1987), repr. ill. B on p. 3 of pl. 11, "With Dreams upon my bed thou scarest me & ..."

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2220 18th-19th Century, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 05/05/2016 - 09/13/2016

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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