{"product_id":"night-the-first-on-life-death-and-immortality-william-blake","title":"Night the First, on Life, Death and Immortality - William Blake","description":"\u003cp\u003eA detailed engraving by William Blake, serving as the frontispiece for Edward Young's 'Night Thoughts', exploring themes of mortality and spiritual transcendence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis engraving serves as the frontispiece for the 1797 edition of Edward Young's poem, 'The Complaint, and the Consolation; or, Night Thoughts'. William Blake was commissioned to provide illustrations for this ambitious project, producing a series of watercolours that were subsequently engraved by the artist himself. The composition features a monumental, bearded figure, often interpreted as a personification of Time or the Creator, who dominates the visual field.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlake employs a delicate, linear style typical of his graphic work. The central text block is framed by ethereal figures, including a soaring spirit and a smaller, upright figure held within a palm, suggesting themes of spiritual ascension and the fragility of human existence. Below, a group of figures engages in domestic or allegorical tasks, grounding the cosmic scale of the upper composition. The work demonstrates Blake's mastery of the burin, using fine hatching to create volume and shadow within the figures while maintaining a clear, readable space for the typography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a piece of book art, this print reflects the intersection of literature and visual expression in the late eighteenth century. Blake's approach to Young's text is not merely decorative, but interpretive, adding a layer of visual theology to the poem's meditations on mortality. The monochromatic palette focuses the viewer on the precision of the line and the symbolic weight of the iconography. This print remains a primary example of Blake's collaborative work with publishers of his era, capturing the intersection of neoclassical structure and his own idiosyncratic, visionary aesthetic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"margin-top:2rem;padding-top:1.5rem;border-top:1px solid #e5e5e5;\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size:0.85rem;color:#888;font-weight:600;margin:0 0 0.75rem;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:0.05em;\"\u003eYou might also like\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:0.5rem;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/portrait-of-grand-duchess-olga-nikolaevna-karl-bryullov\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#f8f9fa;border:1px solid #e5e5e5;border-radius:20px;padding:0.35rem 0.85rem;font-size:0.8rem;color:#2a555a;font-weight:500;text-decoration:none !important;background-image:none !important;\"\u003ePortrait of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna - Karl Bryullov — Karl Bryullov\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/figures-in-the-woods-adolphe-monticelli\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#f8f9fa;border:1px solid #e5e5e5;border-radius:20px;padding:0.35rem 0.85rem;font-size:0.8rem;color:#2a555a;font-weight:500;text-decoration:none !important;background-image:none !important;\"\u003eFigures in the Woods - Adolphe Monticelli — Adolphe Monticelli\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"William Blake","offers":[{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ A4 (21x29.7 cm) \/ -","offer_id":58363038826831,"sku":null,"price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ A3 (29.7 x 42  cm) \/ -","offer_id":58363106001231,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ A2 (42 x 59.4  cm) \/ -","offer_id":58363106033999,"sku":null,"price":49.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A4 (21x29.7 cm) \/ Black frame","offer_id":58363106066767,"sku":null,"price":89.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A4 (21x29.7 cm) \/ Wood frame","offer_id":58363106099535,"sku":null,"price":89.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A4 (21x29.7 cm) \/ Dark wood frame","offer_id":58363106132303,"sku":null,"price":89.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A3 (29.7 x 42  cm) \/ Black frame","offer_id":58363106165071,"sku":null,"price":119.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A3 (29.7 x 42  cm) \/ Wood frame","offer_id":58363106197839,"sku":null,"price":119.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A3 (29.7 x 42  cm) \/ Dark wood frame","offer_id":58363106230607,"sku":null,"price":119.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A2 (42 x 59.4  cm) \/ Black frame","offer_id":58363106263375,"sku":null,"price":185.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A2 (42 x 59.4  cm) \/ Wood frame","offer_id":58363106296143,"sku":null,"price":185.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A2 (42 x 59.4  cm) \/ Dark wood frame","offer_id":58363106328911,"sku":null,"price":185.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0833\/9292\/1935\/files\/Night-the-First-on-Life-Death-and-Immortality_Poster_CompositorV1_1785583308460.jpg?v=1785584268","url":"https:\/\/www.solisprints.com\/products\/night-the-first-on-life-death-and-immortality-william-blake","provider":"Solis Prints","version":"1.0","type":"link"}