Let the day perish wherein I was born - William Blake
Archival giclée
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Description
A detailed engraving from William Blake's Illustrations of the Book of Job, depicting Job in lamentation.
This engraving is the eighth plate from William Blake's Illustrations of the Book of Job, a series produced between 1823 and 1826. The composition depicts the biblical figure Job, seated on the ground with his hands raised in lamentation, flanked by two figures bowed in mourning. The scene captures the moment Job curses the day of his birth, a narrative point from the third chapter of the Book of Job.
Blake employs a precise, linear engraving technique to define the figures and the stark, rocky environment. The central figure of Job is rendered with muscularity and expressive posture, while the surrounding figures are draped in heavy, flowing garments that suggest weight and sorrow. The background features a desolate, mountainous horizon under a turbulent sky, which reinforces the sense of isolation and spiritual trial. The text, integrated into the design, is presented in Blake's characteristic calligraphic style, framing the central image with verses from the scripture.
This work demonstrates Blake's mastery of the burin and his ability to translate complex theological themes into visual form. The balance between the central narrative image and the surrounding text reflects the artist's interest in the synthesis of poetry and visual art. The print is a proof impression, showing the clarity of the lines and the tonal depth achieved through cross-hatching and varied line weights. It remains a significant example of early nineteenth-century British printmaking, showcasing the technical skill and imaginative vision that defined Blake's later career.
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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
Let the day perish wherein I was born - 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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