Pity, second impression, ca. 1795
William Blake (British, 1757–1827)
Color print finished with pen and ink and watercolor
Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubin horsed
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind.
Artist Biography
Technical Glossary
William Blake (British, 1757–1827)
Color print finished with pen and ink and watercolor
sheet: 16 5/8 x 20 3/4 in. (42.2 x 52.7 cm)
Gift of Mrs. Robert W. Goelet, 1958 (58.603)
The existence of a unique proof print (British Museum), in which Blake experimented with his technique on a small scale, suggests that Pity was the first large color print produced by the artist. The child and rider illustrate a double simile from Shakespeare's Macbeth (1:7), in which Macbeth considers the pitiable reaction to his murder of Duncan in terms of vulnerability and vengeance, the human and the supernatural:
And pity, like a naked newborn babe,Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubin horsed
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind.
Related
Index Terms
Artist
Material and Technique
Subject Matter/Theme
- Literature and Literary Connections
- Literature and Literary Connections, British Poetry
- Literature and Literary Connections, British Poetry, Shakespeare
- Theater
