Night the First - William Blake
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
Secure checkout
Made to order
Description
A detailed engraving by William Blake from his 1797 series illustrating Edward Young's poem, Night Thoughts, featuring a reclining figure and a descending angel.
This engraving originates from William Blake's ambitious project to illustrate Edward Young's poem, Night Thoughts. Commissioned by the publisher Richard Edwards in 1795, the project occupied Blake for two years. The composition features a central text block surrounded by Blake's characteristic visionary imagery. At the base, a figure reclines alongside a flock of sheep, while an angel descends from the upper right, creating a sense of ethereal movement. The line work is precise, reflecting the technical demands of the engraving process while maintaining the fluid, expressive quality of Blake's draughtsmanship.
Blake's approach to Young's text is not merely decorative. He interprets the poem's themes of mortality, sleep, and spiritual reflection through his own mythological lens. The figures possess the elongated, muscular anatomy typical of his work, and the spatial arrangement balances the printed word with the visual narrative. The contrast between the dark, stippled background and the lighter, more defined figures creates a dramatic atmosphere. This print provides a glimpse into the collaborative nature of 18th-century book production, where the boundaries between typography and illustration were often blurred by the artist's hand. The inclusion of the sheep adds a pastoral element, grounding the more abstract, celestial presence of the angel. As a piece of British Romantic art, it captures the period's fascination with the sublime and the internal life of the individual. The work remains a significant example of how Blake integrated his own artistic vision into the literary canon of his time, transforming a standard edition of poetry into a unique visual experience.
Return policy
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.
Shipping
We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
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
Night the First - 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.
Why Choose Us ?
Damage-free delivery guarantee
Fast Shipping
Museum-Quality Materials
You May Also Like