Graphite, ink and watercolour on paper
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Art Fund
Illustrations to Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/william-blake-39" aria-label="More by William Blake" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">William Blake</a>
Rock Sculptured with Recovery Ark and Annunciation
Purchased with the assistance of a special grant from the National Gallery and donations from the Art Fund, Lord Duveen and others, and presented through the Art Fund 1919
2 Samuel, chapter 6
Annunciation
Bible: New Testament
Bible: Old Testament
characters
cliff
Dante
Dante, ‘Divine Comedy: Purgatorio’
emotions and human qualities
emotions, concepts and ideas
fine arts and music
humility
Judaeo-Christian imagery
landscape
literature (not Shakespeare)
literature and fiction
mountain
mythical, religious, fictional
objects
places
Purgatory
Purgatory
relief
religion and belief
sea
seascapes and coasts
Virgil
<p>In this scene from Dante’s ‘Purgatorio’, Dante and Virgil climb the Mountain of Purgatory. The poem describes scenes of humility carved into the mountainside. Blake shows the pilgrims studying a carving of the biblical story of the ark (a sacred chest holding the two stone tablets of the ten commandments) being returned to Jerusalem. King David dances in front of the ark as it enters the city. Its return signalled the liberation of Jewish people from the Philistines. Elsewhere, Blake compared the ark to a ‘Dove of Peace.’ He viewed Jerusalem as a symbol of peace and liberty.</p><p><em>Gallery label, October 2023</em></p>
paper unique graphite ink watercolour
6 December 2004 – 15 August 2005
2005-08-15
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2004-12-06
Blake and Jerusalem
Collection based display
1 November 2011 – 21 October 2012
2012-10-21
3 July 2012 – 21 October 2012
2012-10-21
2012-07-03
Fundació “la Caixa” (Madrid, Spain)
2011-11-01
Blake Exhibition
Loan-out
17 April 2023 – 12 May 2024
2024-05-12
17 April 2023 – 12 May 2024
2024-05-12
2023-04-17
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2023-04-17
Blake
Collection based display
The Rock Sculptured with the Recovery of the Ark and the Annunciation
support: 528 × 374 mm

Purchased with the assistance of a special grant from the National Gallery and donations from the <a href="/search?gid=999999968" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">Art Fund</a>, Lord Duveen and others, and presented through the <a href="/search?gid=999999968" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">Art Fund</a> 1919
<div class="text">
<p>In this scene from Dante’s ‘Purgatorio’, Dante and Virgil climb the Mountain of Purgatory. The poem describes scenes of humility carved into the mountainside. Blake shows the pilgrims studying a carving of the biblical story of the ark (a sacred chest holding the two stone tablets of the ten commandments) being returned to Jerusalem. King David dances in front of the ark as it enters the city. Its return signalled the liberation of Jewish people from the Philistines. Elsewhere, Blake compared the ark to a ‘Dove of Peace.’ He viewed Jerusalem as a symbol of peace and liberty. </p>
</div>

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2023-10-26T00:00:00
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<p><a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-the-rock-sculptured-with-the-recovery-of-the-ark-and-the-annunciation-n03368" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N03368</span></a> <b>The Rock Sculptured with the Recovery of the Ark and the Annunciation</b> 1824–7
<br/></p>
<p>N 03368 / B 812 <i>80</i>
<br/>Pencil, pen and watercolour 528×374 (20 3/4×14 11/16)
<br/>Inscribed ‘Pg Canto 10’ in pencil b.r. and, on reverse in pencil, ‘Pg Canto 12’ b.r. and ‘38’ t.r. turned through a right-angle.
<br/>Watermarked ‘WE’
<br/>Purchased with the assistance of a special grant from the National Gallery and donations from the National Art-Collections Fund, Lord Duveen and others, and presented through the National Art-Collection Fund 1919
<br/>PROVENANCE As for N03351</p>
<p>EXHIBITED Paris and Vienna 1937 (24); Tate Gallery 1947 (64)</p>
<p>LITERATURE Rossetti 1863, pp.221 no.102k, and 1880, p.233 no.124k; Damon 1924, p.219; Frye 1947, p.368; Roe 1953, pp.150–2 no.80, repr.; Paley 1978, p.73, pl.113; Paley in Essick and Pearce 1978, pp.172–3; Klonsky 1980, p.156, pl.83; Butlin 1981, p.581 no.812 <i>80</i>; Gizzi 1983, p.161 repr.; Fuller in <i>Art History</i> 1988, pp.357, 362
<br/></p>
<p>This is an illustration to <i>Purgatorio</i> X, 17–69; the poets have reached the first terrace on the Mountain of Purgatory and are shown looking at two of the three examples of humility described by Dante as being carved along the ledge around the Mountain. The scene of the return of the ark to Jerusalem combines two episodes, the smiting of Uzzah and Michal's scorn for her husband David (II Samuel vi, 7 and 16).
<br/>Blake adds the two angels hovering over the ark; according to Roe they probably <i>represent</i> the Daughters of Beulah while David represents the visionary imagination, Uzzah a narrow reliance on the law, and Michal the fallen Female Will. Beulah is Blake's half-way house, equivalent to Purgatory. Roe suggests that Blake probably picked these two particular scenes of the three to contrast two aspects of female love, the Annunciation being placed, contrary to the text, on the righthand, divine, side. The third scene, omitted by Blake, showed Trajan and the poor widow.
<br/>
<br/>Fuller on the other hand denies that Blake goes beyond illustrating Dante's text even though, in his more personal works, he found negative elements in the Covering Cherub that guards the ark and appears in the Annuciation story.</p>
<p>
<br/><b>Published in:</b>
<br/>Martin Butlin, <i>William Blake 1757-1827</i>, Tate Gallery Collections, V, London 1990
<br/></p>

Catalogue entry
2004-07-16T00:00:00
catalogue-entry
CATALOGUE_ENTRY
2 Samuel, chapter 6 Annunciation Bible: New Testament Bible: Old Testament characters cliff Dante Dante, ‘Divine Comedy: Purgatorio’ emotions and human qualities emotions, concepts and ideas fine arts and music humility Judaeo-Christian imagery landscape literature and fiction literature (not Shakespeare) mountain mythical, religious, fictional objects places Purgatory Purgatory relief religion and belief sea seascapes and coasts Virgil