The human form divine

One of the most gifted rebels of the Romantic era, Blake was an accomplished poet, painter, experimental engraver, and philosopher. In particular, the series of illuminated books he created from the 1780s onward remains one of the most heroic achievements of British Romanticism.

This book examines Blake's stupendous achievement by discussing and displaying some fifty works out of the Paul Mellon Collection at the Yale Center for British Art. These include a number of Blake's illuminated books of poetry. Blake's work in other media is represented by tempera paintings and watercolors from his series of illustrations for the Bible and a selection of watercolor illustrations for the Poems of Thomas Gray.

Also discussed in the book are Blake's late engraved illustrations for the Book of Job, Dante's Divine Comedy, and The Pastorals of Virgil. In an introductory essay, Patrick Noon discusses the history of the collection and Paul Mellon's role in promoting Blake studies.