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.
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), 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.
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.
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.
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.
In this image from All Religions are One (1970 facsimile), a naked male figure sits upon a large rock. This figure is commonly thought by Blake scholars to represent John the Baptist. His feet are crossed and both of his arms are gesturing to the right. He is surrounded by vines, leaves, and other such items of the natural world. Beneath him lies the caption of the frontispiece, which reads “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.”
On the title page to Blake’s illustrations to Thomas Gray’s Poems (1972 facsimile), a swan is flying in a deep blue sky. A man is riding on the back of the swan, holding the reigns and reaching for a lyre. He can be interpreted to be “The Pindaric Genius” behind Gray’s work, because a note on the verso of this image refers specifically to the “Genius receiving his Lyre” (symbolically, a sign that he is a poet).
This image is from Blake’s illustrations to “The Progress of Poesy,” a long Pindaric ode in Thomas Gray’s Poems (1972 facsimile). It depicts Hyperion in a burst of light emerging from the sun. Hyperion holds a bow and arrow at the ready, as he is about to cast war upon the forces of “sickly” Night and various human ills.
This image continues Blake’s illustrations to “The Progress of Poesy,” a long Pindaric ode in Thomas Gray’s Poems (1972 facsimile). It has a cold, ice-mountain setting where a figure walks, covered in a wolf skin and playing a trumpet. From the lines Blake marked with an X, it is clear what is going on: “In climes beyond the solar road, / Where shaggy forms o'er ice-built mountains roam, / The Muse has broke the twilight-gloom / To cheer the shiv'ring native's dull abode.”
This image is from Blake’s illustrations to “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College,” which is included in Thomas Gray’s Poems (1972 facsimile). The woman wearing a crown appears to be the queen of the “painful family of death” in the line marked with Blake’s X. She has snakes wrapped around her legs and torso and flames at her feet. The tortured figures around her represent the loss and dark times that will inevitably have to be faced by the happy youth at the start of the poem.
This image is from Blake’s illustrations to “A Long Story,” a comic tale of magic and tangled social relationships in Thomas Gray’s Poems (1972 facsimile). A woman lunges away in fear at the sight of a translucent, ghostly figure on the right who bars the entrance to a chapel door. This alarming “sentry” has flames coming out of his eyes, and is “enough to scare ye,” as the next page of the poem attests.
This image appears near the beginning of Blake’s illustrations to “The Descent of Odin” in Thomas Gray’s Poems (1972 facsimile). It depicts the Norse god literally riding “down the yawning steep” on a horse, with drawn sword, shield out, and armor covering his body. This poem “from the Norse Tongue” was actually translated by Gray from Latin. It is part of a number of Norse legends dealing with the death of Odin’s son, Balder, and Odin’s effort to determine whether Balder’s death can be averted. Here Blake also shows Odin encountering the hideous “Dog of Darkness.” The adjacent page introducing the poem in Blake’s illustrations is startlingly light and whimsical compared to this dark image
In this image from All Religions are One (1970 facsimile), an old male figure with a long beard sits on the ground with his legs crossed. Behind him is a winged angel with a hand resting on the shoulder of the man. In the foreground of the picture is a stone tablet that resembles a combination of a tombstone and the Ten Commandments tablet. The tablet reads “All Religions are One."
In this image from America, a Prophecy (1963 facsimile), a winged figure sits naked and chained in the darkness of a rocky landscape. This figure is thought to represent either Orc, Blake’s revolutionary figurehead, or Albion’s Angel, a symbol of the establishment forces. Also in this image is an exhausted-looking mother holding her children on her lap. All figures appear to be naked. It is unclear if the mother and child are related to the winged figure. A toppled cannon lies in the bottom left corner of the image.
In this image from America, a Prophecy (1963 facsimile), the title of the poem appears in large, billowing clouds whose colors range from light to jet black. Towards the bottom of the images lies a pile of faceless bodies upon which a female figure lays, embracing the topmost body. The top half of the image contains two robed figures sitting upon a layer of clouds, both examining tablets and surrounded by smaller figures. The figure in the pink robe appears to be a young woman with blond hair, while the figure in the blue robe is an elderly man. On the bottom half of the image it is raining or hailing, while sun peaks through the clouds in the top half of the image.
In this image from America, a Prophecy (1963 facsimile), the spirit of revolutionary energy, Orc, is seen naked in a powerful, animal-like pose. Around him are flames, either symbolizing revolution or Hell. The flames take up the majority of the plate, even surrounding some of the words in the poetry.
In this image at the end of America, a Prophecy (1963 facsimile), a female figure lies hunched over on the edge of a cliff, her hands outstretched in prayer. Tears flow from her eyes and become a waterfall that flows over the edge of the cliff as well. Upon and around her body are several smaller human figures. Several of the smaller figures appear to be reading tablets or books. Others appear to be playing pipes, praying, or herding sheep. Vines and flowers grow throughout the page and even spread into the lines of poetry. There are also several dead trees towards the top of the image. In the poem, revolution and the spirit of liberation have been unleashed, but the ending is not triumphant. The world has been engulfed in the conflict.
In this image from Europe, a Prophecy (1969 facsimile), a naked man crouches on the edge of the world. His long white hair and beard flow in the wind and catch fire at the tips. This man is Urizen, creator and god-like figure of the Blakean universe. His hand is extended into the surrounding darkness. From his fingers, two beams of light shoot in opposite directions into the void, like calipers measuring the world. This image likely portrays Urizen creating the universe from the void.
A snake takes up the majority of this plate from Europe, a Prophecy (1969 facsimile). The snake is mostly green, but rust, purple, and blue flecks are scattered throughout its skin. It curves in large coils towards the middle of the plate but its head is raised in between the words of the title, with its tongue sticking out in an aggressive manner. The rest of the plate is fairly simple in terms of illustration. Pastel mountains are seen in the background, and sparse vegetation can be found around the snake and the words in the title.
In this image from Europe, a Prophecy (1969 facsimile), a nude male figure lays face down on a bed of cold rock and earth. He has curly hair lit ablaze by a ring of fire that surrounds his head. This man is Orc, the revolutionary figure from Blake’s prophecies. Above him, a nude female kneels on a cloud and pulls a dark blanket of some material over Orc’s body. The female is Enitharmon, mother figure in the Blakean universe. The sky is a mixture of dark yellows and reds, and nude human figures dance in the background beneath the text.
In this image from Europe, a Prophecy (1969 facsimile), a creature that resembles a bat or a devil sits atop a throne that rests on a cloud. He wears a red robe and has large black wings extending from either side of his body. Blake scholars theorize that this creature is meant to be a caricature of King George III. Beneath him, two angels clad in sheer robes bow before him. They hold scepters that cross and point downwards towards the poetry at the bottom of the plate. The background is jet black darkness.
In this image from Jerusalem (1951 facsimile), a man with blond hair opens an arched door that leads to a dark room. He is wearing a brown hat and a long blue coat. Blake scholars theorize that this man is Los, mainly because of the glowing orb he holds in his right hand. The orb lights up the room and casts shadows across the doorway. Los peers into the doorway as he steps within.
Although the images in Blake’s plates do not always seem to relate very clearly to the text, in this case from Jerusalem (1951 facsimile), the male figure at the bottom would seem to represent Albion, calling to his female counterpart Jerusalem in the lines of the poem at the top of the page: “Awake! Awake Jerusalem! O lovely Emanation of Albion / Awake and overspread all Nations as in Ancient Time / For lo: The Night of Death is past and the Eternal Day / Appears upon our Hills! Awake Jerusalem, and come away. / So spake the Vision of Albion . . .” The brilliant sun in this image sends the stars and moon of night sailing off the page.
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