The Book of Job: Pl. 11, With Dreams upon my bed thou scarest me and affrightest me / with Visions

The Book of Job: Pl. 11, With Dreams upon my bed thou scarest me and affrightest me / with Visions is a compelling engraving executed by William Blake in 1825. This plate forms a critical part of Blake’s monumental series of twenty-one illustrations based on the biblical Book of Job, widely considered the pinnacle of his achievement in printmaking. The image specifically visualizes Job 7:14, depicting the afflicted patriarch tormented by horrific nightmares, which Blake renders as dark, hovering spectral figures invading Job’s sleeping chamber.

Blake utilizes the precise, demanding technique of engraving to achieve stark contrasts between light and shadow, heightening the emotional drama of the scene. The central composition is framed by intricate marginal designs characteristic of Blake’s composite art. These borders often contain supplementary text or symbolic imagery, furthering the artist’s unique, mystical interpretation of the scripture. This illustration captures the profound moment where Job, overwhelmed by suffering, questions divine justice.

As a central figure of the Romantic movement in the United Kingdom, Blake employed his religious subjects to explore themes of spiritual struggle, innocence, and experience. His visionary approach elevated the status of these prints far beyond mere biblical illustration. The complete set of these powerful prints, produced near the end of the artist’s life, stands as a cornerstone of British print history. This impression of The Book of Job: Pl. 11 is preserved in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. High-quality prints of this seminal work, due to their age and cultural importance, often circulate as public domain resources, ensuring continued accessibility for scholarly research worldwide.