Jacob's Ladder - William Blake
Archival giclée
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Description
A visionary watercolour by William Blake depicting the biblical dream of Jacob, featuring a spiral staircase ascending into celestial light.
William Blake, a visionary poet and artist, produced this watercolour illustration to depict the biblical account of Jacob's dream. The composition features a spiral staircase ascending from the earth towards a radiant celestial sphere. Jacob lies in the foreground, his form relaxed as he experiences the vision. Figures of angels move along the steps, their garments flowing in a manner characteristic of Blake's fluid, linear style. The colour palette transitions from the deep, starry blues of the night sky at the base to the warm, golden light emanating from the top of the ladder.
Blake often explored themes of spiritual transcendence and the connection between the human and the divine. In this work, the ladder functions as a bridge between the physical realm and a higher state of existence. The figures are rendered with a sense of weightlessness, suggesting their ethereal nature. The artist employs a delicate application of watercolour, allowing the underlying ink lines to define the forms. This approach creates a sense of transparency and light, which is central to the atmospheric quality of the piece.
This work is part of a series of biblical subjects that Blake explored throughout his career. His unique approach to narrative art often prioritised symbolic meaning over strict anatomical realism. The spiral movement of the ladder draws the eye upward, guiding the viewer through the narrative progression of the scene. The contrast between the dark, grounded earth and the luminous heavens creates a clear visual hierarchy. This print captures the original's subtle washes and precise linework, offering a clear view of Blake's imaginative interpretation of the Genesis narrative. It remains a representative example of his ability to translate complex theological concepts into visual form through a personal, highly stylised aesthetic.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
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
Jacob's Ladder - 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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