Night the Third, Narcissa - William Blake
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
Secure checkout
Made to order
Description
An original engraving by William Blake from his 1797 series illustrating Edward Young's poem, Night Thoughts.
This engraving originates from William Blake's ambitious project to illustrate Edward Young's poem, The Complaint, and the Consolation; or, Night Thoughts. Commissioned by the publisher Richard Edwards in 1795, the project resulted in a series of designs that Blake etched and engraved himself. This specific plate serves as the title page for the third section of the poem, titled Narcissa.
The composition features a central rectangular text block, which frames the title of the section. Surrounding this block is a large, sinuous serpent that coils around the perimeter. A female figure, representing the titular Narcissa, is depicted in a state of ethereal ascension. Her form is elongated and graceful, with her arms raised towards the top of the frame. She appears to be supported by the serpent, which acts as a structural element within the design. The contrast between the dark, textured body of the serpent and the luminous, pale figure of the woman creates a visual tension characteristic of Blake's work.
Blake's approach to the Night Thoughts project was highly personal. He often moved beyond literal interpretations of the text, choosing instead to create symbolic imagery that reflected his own spiritual and philosophical concerns. The serpent, a recurring motif in his visual vocabulary, often carries connotations of the material world or the cycle of life and death. By placing the figure of Narcissa in such close proximity to this creature, Blake invites the viewer to consider the relationship between human mortality and the infinite. The fine line work and the delicate shading demonstrate his technical proficiency as an engraver, allowing for a subtle play of light and shadow that gives the image a dreamlike quality. This print offers a glimpse into the collaborative nature of eighteenth-century literary production, where text and image were intended to function as a unified experience for the reader.
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 Third, Narcissa - 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