Songs of Innocence: A Dream
Original title: Songs of Innocence: A Dream
kurzbeschreibung
This sheet belongs to William Blake's illustrated book Songs of Innocence: A Dream. Printed around 1825 from a 1794 original, it presents a poem within a flower-decorated frame. It is a relief etching, hand-colored with watercolors and shell gold.
Description
A rectangular frame with floral motifs in blue, green, and orange surrounds text printed in orange ink. In the upper right corner is the number 26. A wavy pattern adorns the border. The colors are strong and well coordinated.
Context
The sheet comes from Blake's Songs of Innocence, first published in 1789 and later joined by Songs of Experience. This version was printed around 1825, a time when Blake produced his own books in small editions. The relief etching technique he developed allowed text and image to be combined on a single printing plate.
Impact
The ornamental frame and the calligraphic text form a harmonious union that visually accompanies the poem. Hand-coloring gives the sheet a luminous, almost meditative presence.
Technique
For this sheet Blake used his developed relief etching process: the printing areas remain raised while the spaces between are etched away. It was printed in orange ink; then hand-coloring with watercolors and shell gold followed.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)