The Ancient of Days - William Blake
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Beskrivning
A iconic etching by William Blake, depicting the figure of Urizen measuring the void with golden compasses.
The Ancient of Days is a seminal work by the English poet, painter, and printmaker William Blake. Originally produced as the frontispiece for his prophetic book, Europe a Prophecy, this image depicts the figure of Urizen, a character representing reason and law within Blake's personal mythology. Urizen is shown crouching within a circular sun, his body bent forward as he reaches down to measure the dark void below with a pair of golden compasses.
Blake employs a distinct visual language here, combining muscular, classical anatomy with a visionary, supernatural atmosphere. The figure is framed by a radiant, fiery orb, which contrasts sharply against the surrounding darkness. The composition is dominated by the downward motion of the compasses, which serve to define the boundaries of the physical world. The use of watercolour over the etched lines adds a luminous quality to the flames and the figure, creating a sense of divine energy.
This work is characteristic of Blake's unique approach to printmaking, where he combined text and image to convey complex theological and philosophical ideas. The figure of the creator, often interpreted as a representation of God or the demiurge, is presented not as a benevolent force, but as a figure of strict order and limitation. The precision of the lines and the intensity of the colour palette reflect Blake's rejection of the rationalism of the Enlightenment, favouring instead a focus on imagination and spiritual experience. The image remains one of the most recognisable examples of British Romantic art, demonstrating Blake's ability to synthesise classical influence with his own idiosyncratic vision.
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Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
The Ancient of Days - William Blake
Artist Biography
William Blake
He married Catherine Boucher in 1782. She was illiterate at the time and signed the marriage register with an X. He taught her to read, write, and engrave, and she became his collaborator for the next forty-five years: mixing paint, operating the printing press, hand-colouring plates, and binding the finished pages into covers.
Their working method was Blake's own invention, revealed to him (he said) in a dream by the spirit of his dead brother Robert. Relief etching reversed the standard printmaking process: instead of cutting lines into copper, Blake wrote and drew on the plate in acid-resistant varnish, then dissolved the surrounding metal with acid, leaving text and image raised. This allowed him to compose poetry and illustration simultaneously on a single plate, print them together, then hand-colour each sheet in watercolour. Every copy was therefore unique. Songs of Innocence and of Experience was produced this way. He sold fewer than thirty copies during his lifetime.
In 1803, he physically threw a soldier named John Schofield out of his garden in Felpham. He was charged with assault and with uttering treasonable expressions against the King. He was acquitted at the Chichester assizes in January 1804.
Newton, painted in 1795, shows the scientist as a young man with the body of a Greek god, bent forward at the bottom of a dark ocean, fixing his gaze on a pair of compasses, measuring and drawing on a scroll that appears to project from his own head. It is a painting about the limits of reason: beautiful, precise, and missing everything beyond the edge of the paper. The Ancient of Days, from the same period, depicts his mythological figure Urizen crouching at the edge of a void, reaching down with a compass to measure the darkness below.
He died on 12 August 1827, working on illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy. He was buried at Bunhill Fields. The wider recognition came decades later.
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