27 platesBlake’s Book of Urizen
Creation and rebellion in Blake’s illuminated plates.
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Discover historical illustrations by subject, artist and book.
Visual journeys
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22 platesNielsen’s East of the Sun
Norwegian fairy tales illustrated by Kay Nielsen.
4 platesGnostic Spirit Drawings
Four colour drawings from a 1908 Gnostic text.
24 platesDoré’s Dante
From the dark wood to Paradise with Gustave Doré.
10 platesThe Kingdom of the Gods
Ethelwynne Quail’s visions of the spirit world.
10 platesVassos’s Phobia
Art Deco studies of fear by John Vassos.
Browse illustrations
119 illustrations
Satan Cast from Heaven
A foreground warrior plunges headlong among falling bodies, spread wings and diagonal weapons.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Satan Rises from the Burning Lake
The upright rebel dominates a landscape of flame and broken rock, while a second figure remains lower beside him.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
The Fallen Host Answers Satan
The leader’s raised gesture gathers a dispersed company into an answering host.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
The Rebel Angels Take Flight
Overlapping wings and small bodies fill the air, so that the individual figures become the texture of a vast ascent.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Satan on the Throne of Pandemonium
The throne and the converging architecture establish a centre of authority inside an enormous hall.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Sin and Death at Hell’s Gate
The standing traveller and the two guardians form a tense group at the threshold.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Satan Crosses Chaos
The figure’s limbs and wings work against a landscape that offers no stable road.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Satan Approaches the Earth
The dark wings cut across a luminous atmosphere, directing the eye towards the world beneath them.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Satan’s Inward Despair
The standing body leans back against the rock, one hand braced beside it and the other lifted behind the head.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Satan Surveys Eden
The winged observer stands at the right beneath spreading branches, looking towards the garden below.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Adam and Eve beside the Stream
The two bodies rest within a landscape of water and foliage, making the garden a lived place rather than an empty emblem.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Raphael Arrives in Eden
The visitor appears as a bright figure beyond the shaded foreground, while the human pair turn towards the approaching shape.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Raphael Instructs Adam and Eve
The raised hand of the winged teacher gives the small group a clear direction of attention.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Abdiel Confronts Satan
The central warrior lifts his weapon over an opponent who has dropped low on the clouds.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Life Emerges in the Waters
The foreground reptiles lie close to the water, their heavy bodies contrasting with the small birds in the sky.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Leviathan in the Created Sea
The creature’s body stretches across the sea like a ridge of land, with its spout rising against the cloudy sky.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Satan Finds the Sleeping Serpent
The serpent’s dark coil lies directly beneath the bent figure, creating a quiet meeting between two sharply different bodies.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Adam and Eve after the Transgression
The two figures are separated by posture: one stands with arms raised towards his head, while the other leans back beside the roots.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
The Infernal Council Becomes Serpents
Coiling bodies occupy the foreground and gather towards the throne, replacing the organised ranks seen in the earlier council with a tangled mass.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
Tears before the Departure from Eden
The human figures remain close to the great roots, while the angel waits farther along the dark route through the trees.
Paradise Lost: Illustrated by Gustave Doré
The Expulsion from the Garden
A sword-bearing angel stands in a break of dazzling light while two human figures bend away beneath the trees.
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The Murder of Abel
A standing man looks towards a fallen body in a rocky hollow under a turbulent sky.
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The Deluge
A crowded group clings to a rock as waves surround them; a large cat holds its young above the water nearby.
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The Tower of Babel
An immense stepped tower rises above a crowded foreground of people and scattered masonry.
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The Destruction of Sodom
Lot presses forward with a daughter on either arm while his wife stands alone behind them, looking towards the burning city.
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The Expulsion of Hagar
A woman with a vessel raised near her head stands with a child before two figures outside a tent.
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The Trial of Abraham’s Faith
Isaac carries a great bundle of firewood above his shoulder as Abraham walks beside him with a staff.
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The Burial of Sarah
A company carrying a covered body moves towards a shadowed opening in a rock face.
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Joseph Sold into Egypt
A young Joseph stands among merchants beneath loaded camels, turning towards the men beside him while another company gestures in the distance.
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Joseph Interpreting Pharaoh’s Dream
A young speaker raises his hand before a seated ruler in a vast hall of carved columns.
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Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers
Joseph sits upon an elevated Egyptian throne with both arms extended while his brothers kneel, reach and turn towards him.
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The War against Gibeon
An armed company gathers across a rocky height while a commanding figure points towards the distant sky.
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Sisera Slain by Jael
A woman stands inside a tent beside a fallen figure, with tools held low near her body.
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Samson and Delilah
Samson sits on a cushioned seat with one hand lifted into his long hair, turning towards Delilah as she stands beside him.
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The Death of Samson
A great standing figure presses against two columns while crowds and broken architecture fill the surrounding hall.
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Ruth and Boaz
A kneeling woman gathers stalks at the edge of a group of workers in a broad field.
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The Return of the Ark
Reapers turn from their gathered crop towards a cart carrying a great carved chest, with cattle standing close beside it.
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Saul and David
Saul rises beside his throne with a long spear raised towards the young David, who recoils with his harp.
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David Sparing Saul
A small group stands near a great dark rock above figures gathered at a distance across the valley.
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The Death of Absalom
A rider is caught beneath the branches of a large tree as another armed figure approaches below.
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David Mourning for Absalom
David stands at a palace doorway with one hand raised against his head while seated and kneeling figures gather below him.
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Solomon with His Scrolls
An elderly crowned figure sits with a written scroll in one hand and loose pages around his feet.
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The Judgement of Solomon
A standing guard holds a child before a seated ruler while two women reach into the space between them.
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The Prophet Slain by a Lion
A great lion sits above a body beside a donkey and a distant traveller on a narrow path.
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Elijah and the Messengers of Ahaziah
A bright bolt drops from dark cloud into a crowded company of armed men beneath a standing figure.
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Elijah’s Ascent in a Chariot of Fire
A robed figure rises through a bright bank of cloud while another leans back below with one arm raised.
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The Death of Jezebel
A woman falls from a high opening while riders, raised weapons and animals gather beneath the wall.
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Isaiah: The Seated Prophet
A hooded figure sits on a broad stone ledge above an open landscape, with a staff beside the lowered hands.
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