Adam and the Beasts, Frontispiece to Hayley's "Ballads"
Original title: Adam and the Beasts, Frontispiece to Hayley's "Ballads"
kurzbeschreibung
Engraved by William Blake for William Hayley's 'Ballads', this frontispiece places Adam on a rock among a host of animals. The plate is dated 1 June 1802. Biblical tradition meets a rich, poetic account of creation, with creatures crowding in on every side.
Description
Adam sits on a stone and extends one hand, while animals gather around him in a half circle: a lion, a horse, a rooster, a bird, a swan, a monkey and a snake among them. A large bird, most likely an eagle, hovers above the animals' heads and dominates the picture. Trees and sky close it off at the top, and a text panel carrying Blake's poem 'Comper's Task' runs along the lower edge.
Context
The engraving served as frontispiece to Hayley's 'Ballads', a collection of narrative poems published in 1802. Blake was then in close contact with Hayley, his patron, who found him commissions for illustrations. The plate was made during Blake's stay at Felpham between 1800 and 1803. Biblical subjects and a reckoning with nature shape his work of these years.
Impact
The even spread of the animals and Adam's central place give the image a calm, balanced structure. The hovering eagle lends the scene a lofty, almost visionary note. Precise linework makes the engraving detailed and at the same time poetic in mood.
Technique
The drawing was engraved into a copper plate and then printed on paper, a process that allows for fine lines and shading. Blake used it to give figures and animals plastic presence through hatching and tonal values. At roughly 18.5 x 15.2 cm, this is a small-format sheet conceived as a book illustration.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)