Descriptive Catalogue (1809)
Number Title Notes
I The Spiritual form of Nelson guiding Leviathan c. 1805-9 , Butlin # 649
II The Spiritual form of Pitt guiding Behemoth c. 1805 , Butlin # 651
III The Canterbury Pilgrims , from Chaucer c. 1808 , Butlin # 653 Blake 's painting , and the detail of the coloured engraving ( Geoffrey Chaucer on his black horse ) on the left
IV The Bard , from Gray c. 1809 , Butlin # 655
V The Ancient Britons c. 1809 , Butlin # 657
VI A Subject from Shakspeare [ sic ] c. 1809 , Butlin # 658 Blake entitled the picture A spirit vaulting from a cloud to turn and wind a fiery Pegasus ; Blake says that in his illustration The Horse of Intellect is leaping from the cliffs of Memory : it is a barren Rock : it is also called the Barren Waste of Locke and Newton . The First Part of Henry IV , Act IV , Scene i , where Sir Richard Vernon at the Battle of Shrewsbury comments on the sudden transformation of Prince Hal into a soldier who vaulted with such ease into his seat / As if an angel dropp 'd down from the clouds/ To turn and wind a fiery Pegasus/ And witch the world with noble horsemanship . Inscribed and dated : W Blake 1809 Pen , ink and watercolor , size 308 × 192 mm British Museum , London
VII The Goats c. 1809 , Butlin # 659
VIII The Spiritual Protector c. 1809 , Butlin # 660
IX Satan calling up his Legions , from Milton c. 1795-1800 , Butlin # 6611
X The Bramins [ sic ] - A Drawing c. 1809 , Butlin # 663 a depiction of Charles Wilkins consulting Brahmins while making the first English translation of the Bhagavad Gita
XI Cain Fleeing from the Wrath of God or The Body of Abel found by Adam and Eve , Cain fleeing away A Drawing c. 1805-1809 c. 1805-9 , Butlin # 664 Watercolor and black ink over graphite on cream wove paper 30.3 x 32.6 cm ( 11 15/16 x 12 13/16 in . ) Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum , Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop [ Genesis 4:8 ]
XII Soldiers casting Lots for Christ 's Garment - A Drawing c. 1800 , Butlin # 495 [ John 19:30-31 ]
XIII Jacob 's Ladder - A Drawing c. 1805 , Butlin # 438 [ Genesis 28:12 ]
XIV Angels hovering over the Body of Jesus in the Sepulchre - A Drawing c. 1805 , Butlin # 500 [ John 20:12 ]
XV Ruth - A Drawing c. 1803 , Butlin # 456 [ Ruth 1:16 ] Ruth the Dutiful Daughter-in-law , 1803 , Southampton Art Gallery
XVI The Penance of Jane Shore - A Drawing c. 1793 , Butlin # 69
Works included
The Index to the Catalogue is as follows :
The Descriptive Catalogue of 1809 is a description of, and prospectus for, an exhibition by William Blake of a number of his own illustrations for various topics, but most notably including a set of illustrations to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, this last being a response to a collapsed contract with dealer Robert Cromek. Having conceived the idea of portraying the characters in Chaucer's Canterbury Pilgrims, Blake approached Cromek with a view to marketing an engraving. Knowing that Blake was too eccentric to produce a popular work, Cromek promptly commissioned Thomas Stothard to execute the concept. When Blake learned that he had been cheated, he broke off contact with Stothard, formerly a friend. He also set up an independent exhibition in his brother's haberdashery shop at 27 Broad Street in the Soho district of London. The exhibition was designed to market his own version of the Chaucer illustration, along with other works. As a result he wrote his Descriptive Catalogue of 1809, which contains what Anthony Blunt has called a brilliant analysis of Chaucer. It is regularly anthologised as a classic of Chaucer criticism. It also contained detailed explanations of his other paintings. The price of the Catalogue was 2s 6d (one eighth of a pound sterling), and of admission to the exhibition 1s (one twentieth of a pound sterling); the usual price for exhibitions at the period. At the time a minor house servant might be paid ten pounds per year. An Index to the Catalogue was free with admission to the exhibition.