Thus wept the Angel Voice, from America a Prophecy (after William Blake)
Thus wept the Angel Voice, from America a Prophecy (after William Blake)
This is a fairly free copy of plate 12 of William Blake's 1793 publication, 'America: A Prophecy', showing the nude male figure of Orc, arms outstretched, his left knee extending forward as though climbing among the flames that surround him. The plate sits above 12 lines of verse beginning 'Thus wept the Angel voice...'.
The identification of William Bell Scott as the artist of this drawing is circumstantial, but compellingly so. Scott was a great admirer, interpreter and copyist of Blake's work. He made this particular drawing on the back of a page of a letterpress-printed catalogue of coins and medals. One of the medals on this sheet happens to be no. 'XII. Mary Stuart, Medal by Primavera', i.e. a medal by Jacopo Primavera made in the late 16th century. Sepearately, Scott made a watercolour study of this same medal (National Galleries of Scotland).
The British Museum holds copies both of 'America: A Prophecy' in its prints and drawings collection and, in its preeminent collection of Tudor medals, the Jacopo Primavera medal. It is more than likely that Scott made both the present work and the drawing of the medal while copying objects in the British Museum collections.
Dimensions:
Pen and ink on wove (verso of a coin and medal catalogue page)
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.The British Museum holds copies both of 'America: A Prophecy' in its prints and drawings collection and, in its preeminent collection of Tudor medals, the Jacopo Primavera medal. It is more than likely that Scott made both the present work and the drawing of the medal while copying objects in the British Museum collections.){kind=link}