The Last Trumpet (recto); Two studies of a right eye, a profile of an open-mouthed young man, the head of an eagle, and the head of a lion (verso)
William Blake British
Not on view
Here Britain's great early Romantic poet/artist imagines the Resurrection of believing souls at the last day. His image echoes Saint Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians: "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first." Early in his career, Blake typically worked out ideas in monochrome, using pen to define forms and brushed wash for shadows. Here he scraped away a preliminary conception for the trumpet-blowing figure then redrew it so that the thrusting instrument places the viewer in the position of a rising soul. The Museum has long possessed finished watercolors by Blake, but this was his first working drawing to enter the collection.
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