background, a building, which may be supposed the ruin of a part of Nimrod's tower,[1] which I conjecture to have spread over many countries; for he ought to be reckoned of the giant brood.[2]
I have now on the stocks the following drawings for you[3]: 1. "Jephthah sacrificing his Daughter";
- ↑ Nimrod was the traditional builder of the Tower of Babel (cp. Dante, Inf, c. xxxi, 46-81). The typical warrior and huntsman, he is with Blake the personification of violence, tyranny, and cruel religion. His war and hunting are of a corporeal nature, and utterly opposed to mental strife and the pursuit of spiritual sustenance. The building of the tower is symbolical of the state of those people who pretend to reach heaven by natural means.
- ↑ The giants are the representatives of brutish and sensual existence.
- ↑ i. Gilchrist (1880), vol. ii. p. 213, No. 48. Now in the possession of W. Graham Robertson, Esq. Water-colour, 141⁄8 x 123⁄4 inches. The maiden is kneeling naked, with folded hands, upon the altar, between two curtains of cloud, one bluish and the other dark brown. Her lute and tambourine lie at her side. Jephthah kneels below with outspread arms, and gazes up at her. Two virgins in white stand on either side.
ii. G. ii. p. 214, No. 50. Blake's Descriptive Catalogue (1809), No. xv. Now in the possession of W. Graham Robertson, Esq. Water-colour, 133⁄4 x 121⁄2 inches. Ruth, who is a tall slender figure, with long yellow hair and clothed in white, is embracing Naomi, who is dressed in blue. Orpah, a very tall figure clothed in pink, turns away along a road, winding by a river among trees and mountains. Pale in colour, and of a greyish tone.
iii. G. ii. p. 213, No. 45. Now in the possession of W. Graham Robertson, Esq, Water-colour, 141⁄2x157⁄8 inches. The angel (l.) in shining white raiment, floats forth, on shadowy wings, from the doorway of the tomb, his left arm uplifted and pointing upwards. The three women, clothed in dark grey-blue robes, stand in a row (r.), each with a vase of spices. They cling together with expressions of bewilderment and fear. A dark grey hill, with a building upon it, and, above, a pale grey and blue sky, make the background.
iv. G. ii. p. 213, No. 27. Now in the possession of W. Graham
