Blake, William
Blake, William (1757–1827),English artist, poet, and philosopher, who produced during the early 1770s representations of characters from plays by Shakespeare which display the linear treatment of the human figure for which Blake is celebrated, such as Titiana and Oberon (pen, ink, and wash, Tate Gallery). Blake was commissioned by William Hayley to produce a series of portrait busts for a library at Felpham. These included a depiction of Shakespeare. The completed work, William Shakespeare (c.1800, Manchester City Art Gallery), employed a derivative of the Droeshout engraving, wreathed in laurels. Blake executed numerous ‘commercial’ works, including engravings after Fuseli, such as Katharine, Griffiths and Patience (F. & C. Rivington, London, 1804).
Catherine Tite
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