Europe: a Prophecy

Print made by: William Blake

1794

paper; relief etching; hand-coloured; colour

British Museum

A figure with long white hair is depicted in a dynamic pose, reaching downwards with both hands. The figure is surrounded by a radiant, starburst-like halo of yellow and orange light against a dark background. Below the figure, two lines extend outwards, forming a V-shape. Copy D, plate 1, frontispiece: "The Ancient of Days"; a bearded nude male (probably Urizen) crouching in a heavenly sphere, its light partially covered by clouds; his left arm holding a pair of compasses and reaching down with them, measuring the surrounding darkness. 1794 Colour relief etching and white-line etching in blue, black, red and yellow;… with added hand colouring.View more about description "Europe: a Prophecy" follows on from Blake's "America", although chronologically it describes an earlier history. "Europe" examines the destructive effects of a repressive Christianity on society."Europe" is an illuminated book compri