The Blakes are back…

By Sarah Hepworth on July 13, 2009 • ( 0 )

…after a brief ‘holiday’ in France. We recently lent a number of works by the engraver, artist and poet, William Blake (1757-1827) to an exhibition at the Petit Palais, Museum of Fine Arts, in Paris. These included the illuminated book Europe: A Prophecy, one of only nine copies in the world and a treasure of Special Collections.

Sp Coll RX132 Frontispiece to William Blake's Europe

We are often asked to lend items to exhibitions in the UK and abroad. This provides further opportunities for our material to be displayed in public, contributing to research and debate. Our staff undertake various tasks: checking security arrangements and environmental conditions, arranging photography and conservation work, liaising with the exhibition venue and making sure the material arrives safely there and back.

Blake has influenced diverse artists and his poem The Tyger “…burning bright, In the forests of the night…” is one of the most popular poems in English. You can read more about William Blake and our copy of Europe in a Book of the Month article.