Songs of Innocence: A Cradle Song (second plate)
Original title: Songs of Innocence: A Cradle Song (second plate)
kurzbeschreibung
William Blake created this hand-coloured relief etching in 1789; the present impression was printed around 1825. It shows a crowned woman and a sleeping child in a basket, framed by a floral border with a line of verse.
Description
A woman with blonde hair and a crown sits on a chair, wearing a red gown; her gaze rests on a sleeping baby in a basket, wrapped in white. Dark blue curtains form the backdrop. Above the scene runs a text band with a line of poetry, surrounded by a stylised floral frame. Orange, brown and red dominate the warm palette, accented with blue and gold.
Context
The print belongs to Blake's 'Songs of Innocence', part of his illuminated books. For the prints, Blake etched the plates himself and coloured the impressions by hand afterwards. The second plate of this motif was printed around 1825, decades after the first edition, suggesting a later revision or reissue.
Impact
Delicate hand-colouring and the floral frame give the sheet an intimate, almost meditative atmosphere. The warm tones and the calm mother-and-child scene evoke security and innocence, reflecting Blake's poetic vision.
Technique
The work was made by relief etching: the non-printing areas of the plate were etched away, so that the raised lines took up the ink. It was printed in orange-brown ink; then hand-colouring with watercolours and shell gold followed, giving each copy an individual touch.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)