- Title:
- "A wond'rous boy shall Rinda bear, Who ne'er shall comb his raven hair..." (Design 83)
- Additional Title(s):
Verso: "Ha! no Traveller art thou, King of Men, I know thee now..." Design 84)
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: "7"; in graphite center: "x"; on verso in black ink upper left: "8"; in graphite center: "+"
Lettered on inlaid page: "AN ODE. 123 | Now my weary lips I close: | Leave me, leave me to repose. | ODIN. | Prophetess, my spell obey: | Once again arise, and say, | Who th' avenger of his guilt, | By whom shall Hoder's blood be spilt. | PROPHETESS. | In the caverns of the west, | By Odin's fierce embrace comprest, | A wond'rous boy shall Rinda bear, | Who ne'er shall comb his raven hair, | Nor wash his visage in the stream, | Nor see the sun's departing beam, | Till he on Hoder's corse shall smile | Flaming on the funeral pile. | Now my weary lips I close: | Leave me, leave me to repose. | I ODIN."; Lettered on verso, on inlaid page: "124 THE DESCENT OF ODIN. | ODIN. | Yet awhile my call obey; | Prophetess, awake, and say, | What Virgins these, in speechless woe, | That bend to earth their solemn brow, | That their flaxen tresses tear, | And snowy veils, that float in air. | Tell me whence their sorrows rose: | Then I leave thee to repose. | PROPHETESS. | Ha! no Traveller art thou, | King of Men, I know thee now; | Mightiest of a mighty line-- | ODIN. | No boding Maid of skill divine | Art thou, nor Prophetess of good, | But mother of the giant-brood! | PRO-"
- Credit Line:
- Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
- Copyright Status:
- Public Domain
- Accession Number:
- B1992.8.11(42)
- Classification:
- Drawings & Watercolors
- Collection:
- Prints and Drawings
- Subject Terms:
- armor | banks (riverbanks) | clouds | comb (grooming tool) | gown | helmets | hills | knight (landholder) | lake | literary theme | man | nude | religious and mythological subject | river | shield | shore (landform) | sitting | sky | sun | sunrise | text | trees | water | 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:3676
- 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]