The Circle of the Thieves; Agnolo Brunelleschi Attacked by a Six-Footed Serpent

1827

William Blake

Associated Names
William Blake

Artist, British, 1757 - 1827

This is a carved copper plate. The plate itself is dark red, and the carved lines are light gray. The plate shows five people, two on the left, two on the right, and one in the center being eaten by a demonic creature. The central man and the two people on the left are nude, while the two people on the right wear long robes and have long hair. The central man is being attacked from behind by an enormous lizard-like creature with scales, wings, and a long tail. The creature has six legs that end in claws, and they are all grabbing onto the man, its tail wrapping around his leg. His head is visible in the creature's open mouth, his features contorted. There are snakes slithering around the rocky terrain in the background, some hissing at the two people on the left.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraved copper plate

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 27.9 x 35.6 cm (11 x 14 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.1741

  • Series Title

    Dante's "Divine Comedy": pl.4 ("Inferno," canto XXV)


Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1957

  • The Art of William Blake, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1957, no. 94.

1997

  • Six Centuries/Six Artists, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1997.

Markings

recto: none; verso: mark of copperplate manufacturer Pontifex & Co [Lisle Street, Soho, London]

Wikidata ID

Q63570751

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