The Skeleton Re-Animated, Title Page to "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair

The Skeleton Re-Animated, Title Page to "The Grave," a Poem by Robert Blair is a potent engraving executed by William Blake in 1813. This print served as the title page illustration for the popular 19th-century edition of Robert Blair’s influential meditative poem, The Grave (first published 1743). The dynamic, vertical composition immediately captures the poem’s theme of mortality and the anticipated moment of resurrection. Blake depicts a dramatically animated skeleton rising from the earth, rendered with powerful, almost muscular definition. This figure strains upward toward a celestial being, a classically idealized male nude, who descends bearing the trumpet of the Last Judgment.

Blake’s commitment to capturing the profound spiritual dimension of his subjects is evident in the highly detailed execution of this work. The technique of engraving allowed Blake to create the sharp contrasts necessary to depict this apocalyptic vision, relying on line work to define shadows and form. The interplay between the decaying body of the skeleton and the flawless form of the nude highlights the tension between earthly death and spiritual awakening, key motifs that Blake explored extensively in his artistic career. This important print is housed within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, preserving a vital example of British Romantic-era illustration. Today, prints of this masterwork are widely distributed, often entering the public domain, allowing scholars worldwide to examine Blake’s unique visual interpretation of Blair’s text and its complex symbology relating to life, death, and the divine proclamation of the trumpet.