illustrations morning christ drew painted illustrations ode morning christ total illustrations extant sets additional drawings pencil dating sets unknown blake intended sequence illustrations sets known set thomas set respective patrons set set hold sets collections little record thomas set set led disputes dating known thomas set commissioned reverend commissioned illustrations paradise lost blake contract commission extant commissioning probably took place year illustrations completed blake eager accept commission according illustrations kind work blake resist presumably stayed family bought anonymous seller collection gave known dates composition set blake created thirty designs included illustrations morning christ later passed son sold passed hands sold sold dating sequence illustrations dating edges thomas set trimmed sale leaving sheets night peace bears date set entirely dates proposed argues set thomas set years place earlier thomas set sequence illustrations topic scholarly dispute thomas set inscribed backs numbers added sale unlikely follow blake intended order original order ran descent peace flight old dragon overthrow apollo placed order night peace followed descent peace similar subjects nearly subsequent scholars rejected commentary centered blake use similar images frame sequence instead original sequence moving flight second matches order corresponding verses poem follows order adopts order seeing thematic progression destruction classical aesthetics old testament cruelty resembles order followed analysis blake literary debt key understanding illustrations earlier poet writings general poem guide blake idea possessed true spiritual vision fell adherence preference cruel distant old testament figure christ regard ode blake rebirth poetry creative imagination christ blake sees return christian ideals poetry pagan classical aesthetic represented overthrow apollo pagan gods figure apollo modeled apollo blake book europe prophecy especially influenced morning christ poem symbol pure creative energy rises institutions church state doomed rebellion inevitably countered increased institutional repression europe light seen parody poem associated fire closest parallel found flight child given god sacrifice similarity frames child shape stable illustrations purpose christ birth hell illustrations emphasize simultaneous occurrence events depict presence stable image framing set similar images focus peaceful victory christ darkness descent peace neo represents descent soul body cramped stable table illustrations order followed given
William Blake's illustrations of On the Morning of Christ's Nativity