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>
Cerberus
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
adults
animals: actions
animals: fantastic
animals: mammals
attacking
cave
Cerberus
characters
classical myths: creatures
Dante, ‘Divine Comedy: Inferno’
dog - non-specific
Hell
Hell
Judaeo-Christian imagery
landscape
literature (not Shakespeare)
literature and fiction
man
monster
mysticism
mythical, religious, fictional
people
places
religion and belief
spirit
Underworld
Virgil
<p>Cerberus, the terrifying three-headed monster, guards the circle of Hell where gluttons are punished.</p><p>Blake drew this design with charcoal as well as pencil and, later, pen and ink. The distant flames of Hell are contrasts of deep red vermilion, a brownish-pink lake pigment that is probably brazilwood, and yellow gamboge. Brazilwood was one of the cheaper and less popular red/pink lake colours. Blake was always careful not to overlay colours or drawing media. This served him in good stead here because, as he undoubtedly knew, charcoal tends to absorb a lot of colour from red lakes.</p><p><em>Gallery label, September 2004</em></p>
paper unique graphite ink watercolour
24 November 2003 – 22 November 2004
2004-11-22
10 November 2003
2003-11-10
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2003-11-24
William Blake the Painter at Work
Collection based display
1 November 2011 – 21 October 2012
2012-10-21
1 November 2011 – 19 February 2012
2012-02-19
2011-11-01
State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow, Russia)
2011-11-01
Blake Exhibition
Loan-out
13 May 2013 – 6 April 2015
2015-04-06
13 May 2013 – 6 April 2015
2015-04-06
2013-05-13
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2013-05-13
William Blake
Collection based display
11 September 2019 – 2 February 2020
2020-02-02
11 September 2019 – 2 February 2020
2020-02-02
2019-09-11
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2019-09-11
William Blake: The Artist
Exhibition
Cerberus
support: 372 × 528 mm
frame: 602 × 745 × 22 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="para1">
<span class="text14">Cerberus, the terrifying three-headed monster, guards      the circle of Hell where gluttons are punished. </span>
</div>
<div class="para9">
<span class="text14">
<br/> </span>
</div>
<div class="para1">
<span class="text14">Blake drew this design with <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/c/charcoal" title="Glossary definition for 'Charcoal'"><span>charcoal</span></a> as  well as      <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/g/graphite" title="Glossary definition for 'Graphite'"><span>pencil</span></a> and, later, <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/pen-and-ink" title="Glossary definition for 'Pen and Ink'"><span>pen and ink</span></a>. The </span><span class="text15">distant      flames of Hell are contrasts of deep red vermilion, a brownish-pink lake      pigmen</span><span class="text14">t that is probably brazilwood, and yellow      </span><span class="text16">gamboge. Brazilwood was one of the </span><span class="text14">cheaper and less popular red/pink lake colours. Blake was      always careful not to overlay colours or <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/d/drawing" title="Glossary definition for 'Drawing'"><span>drawing</span></a> <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/m/medium" title="Glossary definition for 'Medium'"><span>media</span></a>. This served him in      good stead here because,  as he undoubtedly knew, charcoal tends  to absorb      a lot of colour from red lakes.  </span>
</div>

Display caption
2004-09-10T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
<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-cerberus-n03354" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N03354</span></a> <b>Cerberus</b> 1824–7 [<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-circle-of-the-lustful-francesca-da-rimini-the-whirlwind-of-lovers-a00005" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>A00005</span></a>-<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-dante-striking-against-bocca-degli-abati-a00011" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>A00011</span></a>; <a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-dante-and-virgil-penetrating-the-forest-n03351" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N03351</span></a>-<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-dante-in-the-empyrean-drinking-at-the-river-of-light-n03370" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>N03370</span></a>; <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-circle-of-the-lustful-francesca-da-rimini-the-whirlwind-of-lovers-t01950" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>T01950</span></a>-<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-dante-striking-against-bocca-degli-abati-t01956" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>T01956</span></a>; complete]
<br/></p>
<p>N 03354 / B 812 <i>12</i>
<br/>Pencil, pen, and watercolour 372×528 (14 5/8×20 3/4)
<br/>Inscribed ‘HELL Canto 6’ in ink b.l. and, on reverse, ‘29’ t.r., turned through a right-angle 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-Collections Fund 1919
<br/>PROVENANCE As for <span>N03351</span>
<br/>EXHIBITED ?R A 1893 (5); Tate Gallery 1947 (61); Pescara 1983 (3, repr. in colour)
<br/>LITERATURE Rossetti 1863, p.217 no.101l, and 1880, p.228 no.123l; Roc 1953, pp.66–7 no.12, repr.; Klonsky 1980, pp.139–40, colour pl.12; Butlin 1981, pp.559–60 no.812 <i>12</i>; Gizzi 1983, p.90 repr., and in colour p.55
<br/></p>
<p>This is an illustration to <i>Inferno</i> VI, 13–24. The three-headed monster Cerberus is shown guarding the entrance to the third circle of hell. There is a second version of this subject in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (Butlin, 1981 no.812 <i>13</i>, repr. Roe 1953, Klonsky 1980 and Gizzi 1983, all as pl.13). Roe suggests that the Melbourne version was done before that in the Tate and was abandoned because it failed to show Cerberus in a sufficiently formidable manner; the sketch formerly in the collection of Hugo Schwab (Butlin no.818 <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/r/recto-verso" title="Glossary definition for 'Recto / Verso'"><span>verso</span></a>, pl.1068) is closer to the Melbourne version. However, the Melbourne version seems to illustrate a slightly later moment in the <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/n/narrative" title="Glossary definition for 'Narrative'"><span>narrative</span></a>, the pacification of the beast through being fed handfuls of earth by Virgil (<i>Inferno</i> VI, 22–33); in the Tate <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/w/watercolour" title="Glossary definition for 'Watercolour'"><span>watercolour</span></a> Virgil is shown as being less directly involved, just about to feed the first of Cerberus's three heads.
<br/>
<br/>In both watercolours Blake shows Cerberus in a cave which is not in Dante's text, probably to suggest the weight of the material world.
<br/>
<br/>The work exhibited at the Royal <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/a/academy" title="Glossary definition for 'Academy'"><span>Academy</span></a> in 1893 was entitled ‘Cerberus-the Circle of the Gluttons’. This could be either of the two versions of ‘Cerberus’ already mentioned or ‘The Circle of the Gluttons, with Cerberus’ now in the Fogg Art Museum (Butlin no.812 <i>11</i>, repr. Roe 1953, Klonsky 1980 and Gizzi 1983, all as pl.11).</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
2004-10-05T00:00:00
catalogue-entry
CATALOGUE_ENTRY
adults animals: actions animals: fantastic animals: mammals attacking cave Cerberus characters classical myths: creatures Dante, ‘Divine Comedy: Inferno’ dog - non-specific Hell Hell Judaeo-Christian imagery landscape literature and fiction literature (not Shakespeare) man monster mysticism mythical, religious, fictional people places religion and belief spirit Underworld Virgil