- Title:
- The Serpent who Girds the Earth (Design 77)
- Additional Title(s):
Verso: Spectres (Design 78)
The Descent of Odin- Part Of:
- Date:
- between 1797 and 1798
- Materials & Techniques:
- Watercolor with pen and black ink and graphite on moderately thick, slightly textured, cream wove paper with inlaid letterpress page
- Dimensions:
- Sheet: 16 1/2 x 12 3/4 inches (41.9 x 32.4 cm)
- Inscription(s)/Marks/Lettering:
Inscribed in black ink upper right: "1"; on verso in black ink upper left: "2"; in black ink center: "The Descent of Odin | 1. The Serpent who girds the Earth | 2. Spectres | 3. 'Him the Dog of Darkness spied' | 4. 'Right against the eastern gate | By the mossgrown Pile he sat' | 5. The Prophetess Rising from her Grave | 6. 'Tis the drink of Balder bold' | 7. 'A wondrous boy shall Rinda bear | Who neer shall comb his raven hair | Nor wash his visage in the stream | Till he on Hoders corse shall smile' | 8. 'Ha! No traveller art thou | King of Men I know thee Now' | 9. 'Hie thee hence' | 10. The Serpent & the Wolvish Dog. two | terrors in the Northern Mythology"
Lettered on inlaid page: "THE | DESCENT OF ODIN. | AN ODE. | (From the NORSE TONGUE.) | To be found in BARTHOLINUS, de causus | contemnendae mortis; HAFNIAE, 1689, | Quarto. | UPREIS ODINN ALLDA GAUTR, &C."
- Credit Line:
- Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
- Copyright Status:
- Public Domain
- Accession Number:
- B1992.8.11(39)
- Classification:
- Drawings & Watercolors
- Collection:
- Prints and Drawings
- Subject Terms:
- dragon | literary theme | moon | mythological figures | nudes | religious and mythological subject | sea | serpent | snake | stars | sun | text | water | wings | woman
- Access:
- Accessible by appointment in the Study Room [Request]
Note: The Study Room is open by appointment. Please visit the Study Room page on our website for more details. - Link:
- https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:3669
- Export:
- XML
- IIIF Manifest:
- JSON
Colin Cross, Blake revealed, William Blake : Discovery of a Masterwork , Observer, vol. 12, November 21, 1971, pp. 19-23, V 1245 Detached from Observer colour magazine [ORBIS]
Arnold Fawcus, Unknown Watercolours by William Blake, Illustrated London News, vol. 259, No. 6881, December 25, 1971, pp. 45-46, 49-51, Illustrated London News Historical Archive [ORBIS]