The Book of Job: Title Page

The Book of Job: Title Page by William Blake, executed in 1825, is a masterful example of late Romantic engraving. This work serves as the introductory plate for Blake’s monumental series of twenty-two illustrations interpreting the ancient biblical narrative of Job. Created late in the artist’s life for patron John Linnell, the series represents the peak of Blake’s technical skill in printmaking and his profound engagement with spiritual symbolism.

As an original engraving, this piece showcases the detailed linear style characteristic of Blake's designs. Unlike his earlier experiments with relief etching, these plates utilize standard intaglio methods, allowing for greater tonal depth and precision in the complex, allegorical scenes. The title page itself is typically crowded with symbolic figures surrounding the central text, illustrating the divine and satanic forces at play in Job’s trials.

The influence of Blake's theological imagination on subsequent graphic arts in the United Kingdom is immeasurable. The finished prints secured the artist's reputation among Romantic-era contemporaries and later generations as both a visionary mystic and a highly original designer. Although originally intended for a small audience, the artistic power and historical significance of these illustrations ensure that high-quality prints remain widely studied today. This specific impression of the plate is held in the renowned collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Given the age of the original plates, copies of the seminal title page are often available in the public domain for research and scholarly study.