Conscience and the Recording Angel

Conscience and the Recording Angel was executed in 1818 by P. Jones and William Blake, a significant example of British printmaking from the early nineteenth century. This piece is a meticulously crafted engraving in black on wove paper, a medium that allowed for wide dissemination and detailed linear work characteristic of Blake’s contributions to graphic art. While Jones may have handled the technical aspects of the plate, the spiritual intensity and dramatic composition are strongly influenced by the distinctive visual language established by Blake.

The work belongs to the cultural flowering of the British Romantic period (1801 to 1825) and reflects a profound engagement with theological and moral themes. The subject matter depicts the critical moment of reckoning, often featuring an angelic figure tasked with meticulously documenting the deeds and failings of humankind. This emphasis on inner moral judgment and the external recording of destiny was a central fascination for Blake, whose oeuvre often merged mythology with Christian eschatology. The precise technique of the engraving emphasizes the sharp delineation required to convey the emotional weight of this divine observation.

Classified as a Print, this piece demonstrates the collaborative nature of artistic production during the era, where artists of Blake’s stature frequently contributed design and vision to commercial and commissioned projects. The National Gallery of Art holds this important artifact, where it serves as a key reference point for understanding Blake's late career engagements with the print medium. As a historical artwork of this vintage, Conscience and the Recording Angel is generally considered part of the public domain, allowing scholars and enthusiasts worldwide to study these powerful prints that bridge poetic vision and technical mastery.