← William Blake

Job's Evil Dreams

Original title: Job's Evil Dreams

Artist

William Blake

Date

1825–26

Medium

Engraving

Dimensions

plate: 8 1/2 x 6 5/8 in. (21.6 x 16.8 cm) sheet: 16 3/8 x 10 7/8 in. (41.6 x 27.6 cm)

Credit line

Gift of Edward Bement, 1917

kurzbeschreibung

William Blake's engraving Job's Evil Dreams, made in 1825–26, belongs to his illustrated series for the Book of Job. It shows a sleeping figure visited by a serpent-like creature.

Description

A figure lies as if trapped in sleep or dream. Above, a large snake coils with eyes wide open and teeth bared. Several human figures crouch beneath the central figure, apparently threatened by the creature. The layout is markedly asymmetrical, with the figures crowded into the lower half. The engraving stays in gray tones; the light feels murky, and the shading ranges from bright to dark.

Context

This plate is one of Blake's 21 engravings for the Book of Job, produced between 1825 and 1826 for his patron John Linnell. Blake drew heavily on the Bible and on his own mystical visions. The series ranks among his major late works.

Impact

The gloomy lighting and the menacing serpent shape stir strong unease. The asymmetrical arrangement heightens the sense of threat and draws the eye to the helpless figure at the center.

Technique

For this plate Blake used engraving, in which the drawing is etched into a metal plate. Bold, precise lines and varied shading define his prints. Printing was done with plate tone in sepia or black.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)