The Grave, A Poem

Various artists/makers

Not on view

This second edition of "The Grave" was published by Ackermann in 1813. The twelve prints it contains had first been issued by Robert Hartley Comek in 1808, engraved by Schiavonetti. The images are based on watercolors by Blake and proved to be the latter's most popular work with his contemporaries. When Blake received the commission in 1808, he expected to also act as engraver but, Cromek deemed his first plate, "Death's Door," too experimental and gave the job to Schiavonetti. As a result, the project sheds fascinating light on how commercial forces denied a profoundly original artist of the opportunity to translate his own work into print, but also circulated his designs to a wide public.

The Grave, A Poem, After William Blake (British, London 1757–1827 London), Illustrations: etchings

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

The Grave, A Poem, After William Blake (British, London 1757–1827 London), Illustrations: etchings
The Grave, A Poem, After William Blake (British, London 1757–1827 London), Illustrations: etchings
The Grave, A Poem, After William Blake (British, London 1757–1827 London), Illustrations: etchings

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.