Category:William Blake's illustrations to the Divine Comedy - engravings

Blake's Illustrations of Dante, 1838, c. 1892[edit]

(Collection of Robert N. Essick)

• object 1-- "Cover Label"
• object 2 (Bentley 448.1)-- "The Circle of the Lustful: Francesca Da Rimini"
• object 3 (Bentley 448.2)-- "Ciampolo the Barrator Tormented by the Devils"
• object 4 (Bentley 448.3)-- "The Baffled Devils Fighting"
• object 5 (Bentley 448.4)-- "The Six-Footed Serpent Attacking Agnolo Brunelleschi"
• object 6 (Bentley 448.5)-- "The Serpent Attacking Buoso Donati"
• object 7 (Bentley 448.6)-- "The Pit of Disease: The Falsifiers"
• object 8 (Bentley 448.7)-- "Dante Striking Against Bocca Degli Abati"

Copy Information[edit]

Title: Blake's Illustrations of Dante Origination: William Blake: inventor, delineator, engraver Origination: printer not recorded: Publisher: John Linnell and his family Note: Neither the cover label nor the plates themselves indicate a publisher, but the Dante engravings were printed for and sold by John Linnell in 1838, and by the Linnell family c. 1892. Place of Publication: London Date: none Note: No date of publication is given on the cover label or the engravings; see the information below on Printing Date. Composition Date: 1826-27 Print Date: 1838, c. 1892 Note: 1838 (cover label), c. 1892 (the 7 engravings). The Dante engravings were first printed in 38 complete sets in 1838. A second printing of 50 sets can be dated to c. 1892. The printing date for impressions on the type of paper represented by the set reproduced here cannot be determined with certainty, but they probably are part of the later printing. The cover label, printed in letterpress, probably dates from 1838. Further impressions were pulled from the plates in 1955 (20 sets) and 1968 (25 sets). Number of Objects: 8 Note: The first object is the Dante cover label printed in letterpress; objects 2-8 are the Dante engravings. Object Order: 1-8 Object Size: ranging between 9.3 x 12.1 cm. (object 1, the cover label) and 24.2 x 34.0 cm. (objects 2-8, the engravings) Note: Dimensions recorded here are of the complete image, including printed framing lines. Number of Leaves: 8 Leaf Size: 10.0 x 13.1 cm. (object 1), 39.0 x 54.2 cm. (objects 2-8) Medium: letterpress (object 1, the cover label), intaglio engravings (objects 2-8) Printing Style: letterpress (object 1, the cover label), intaglio (objects 2-8) Ink Color: black Support: laid paper (object 1, the cover label), India paper (chine collee) on wove paper backing sheets (objects 2-8) Watermark: N Note: This (fragmentary?) watermark appears only on objects 2, 6, and 7. Etched Numbers: none Penned Numbers: none Frame Lines: A double frame line surrounds the cover label (object 1). An engraved line, contiguous with the edges of the image, surrounds each engraved designs (objects 2-8) on all 4 sides. Binding: loose, matted Stab Holes: none Provenance

Name: Robert N. Essick Date: 1974 Dealer: Andrew Edmunds Price: £3700 Note: Sold Sotheby's, 11 July 1974, lot 17A, "the property of a lady" (£3700 to Andrew Edmunds acting for Robert N. Essick). Earlier history unknown. Present Location

Collection of Robert N. Essick Altadena, CA http://www.blakearchive.org/exist/blake/archive/copy.xq?copyid=bb448.1&java=no