Blake, An Imagined Death Mask

1956 (published 1964)

Leonard Baskin

Associated Names
Leonard Baskin

Artist, American, 1922 - 2000

Gehenna Press

Publisher

The image depicts the head and shoulders of a person in a black and white illustration. The person faces forward, with intricately drawn facial features showing a furrowed brow and thin features. The hair is tangled and textured, resembling plant-like forms. The figure is situated against a simple dark rectangle background with rounded corners at the top, without any other discernible details.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    wood engraving in black on vellum

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 14.6 x 10.8 cm (5 3/4 x 4 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1980.45.104.f

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Fern/O'Sullivan 1984, no. 267

Associated Artworks

See all 5 artworks
The image shows a person's left profile, emphasizing facial features like cheekbones, nose, and eyes. The hair is not visible. The drawing style seems etched or carved. No clothing, body, jewelry, or objects are visible. The background is plain, enclosed in a rectangular frame, with a signature reading “Baskin” at the bottom.

A Letter from William Blake

Leonard Baskin, Gehenna Press

1964

The image shows a line drawing of a person's profile, focusing on the head and part of the neck. The person is looking to the left in profile view. Their facial features are depicted with prominent lines, including a forehead, nose, and deep lines. The hair is illustrated with flowing, curved lines, extending toward the back of the head. The clothing is minimal, outlined to cover the shoulders. The background is plain, with a border framing the figure. There is a signature at the bottom right within the border.

Blake, after a Drawing by John Linnell

Leonard Baskin, Gehenna Press

1956

The image shows a composition of sharp, jagged lines interlacing with dense, swirling patterns. The forms come together to suggest the familiar visage of a human face, with exaggerated features reminiscent of a furrowed brow and a solemn expression. The abstract lines and shapes meld to imply the eyebrows, eyes, and mustache, evoking the essence of a face but with a chaotic and fragmented twist.

William Blake

Leonard Baskin, Gehenna Press

1959

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania; acquired 1980 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Bibliography

1984

  • Fern, Alan, and Judith O'Sullivan. The Complete Prints of Leonard Baskin: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1948-1983. Boston, 1984: no. 267.

Inscriptions

lower right in graphite: Baskin

Wikidata ID

Q75420420

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