The title page of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1960 facsimile) prominently features the title as part of the artwork. The words are made up of trees, and beneath their branches walk several small human figures. Towards the bottom of the page, plumes of smoke and fire emerge from the centermost layer of the earth. Amidst the natural violence, two lovers embrace in the middle of the page. One emerges from the flames, while the other is surrounded by dusty clouds, perhaps providing a visual representation of the union between the realms of Heaven and Hell.
This image from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1960 facsimile) continues the themes of fire and smoke seen throughout the illustrations in this illuminated book. The majority of this particular plate is black text on white, however, smudges of orange and black can be seen in the background.
At the top of this image from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1960 facsimile), a nude female with flowing golden hair is laying down with her limbs outstretched. She is surrounded by flames, some of which drape across her body, although she does not appear to be in pain. At the bottom of the plate, a larger nude female is giving birth. Her child's body language mirrors her own, as both of their arms are reaching towards the sky. In the bottom left corner of the plate, a nude child is mid-stride and appears to be running towards the corner of the plate. He seems to be kissing a spirit-like human with outstretched arms.
In this image from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1960 facsimile), a nude male falls head-first into a dark cavernous abyss. Alongside him, in a similar falling position, are his belongings - a horse, chariot, sword, and light blue cape. With arms stretched in front of his head, the man is inches from the flames that line the bottom of the illustration on this plate. Blake scholars theorize that this image likely refers to the falling of the Messiah from Heaven, in which he “fell & formed a heaven with what he stole from the Abyss”. This formation of a new heaven likely refers to the creation of Hell by Satan.
The artwork on this plate from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1960 facsimile) is concentrated at the bottom, as the text takes up the majority of the space. The landscape is divided between two different forces of nature. On the left, dark seas rage beneath a burning yellow sun with a red center. On the right, flames blaze fervently and dark smoke clouds the background. The words “The voice of the Devil” are, ironically, surrounded by naked angels whose horns seem to herald the following poetry. The sky behind the angels is a pastel yellow.
In this image from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1960 facsimile), the text says "Rintrah roars," but the imagery is mysterious. A woman in a yellow gown stands at the base of a tree with one arm around the trunk. The other arm is extended to a woman robed in green who is in the tree among the branches. Behind them, the sky shifts in color from red to blue. A curling vine descends from the top of the tree and surrounds the words of the poetry. Towards the bottom of the plate, upon bright green grass, lay two nude human figures whose features are essentially indiscernible.
Advanced Search
