WILLIAM BLAKE (LONDON 1757-1827)
03.12.2025 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
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CHRISTIE'S| Auctioneer | CHRISTIE'S |
|---|---|
| Event location | United Kingdom, London |
| Buyer Premium | see on Website% |
ID 1513632
Lot 153 | WILLIAM BLAKE (LONDON 1757-1827)
Estimate value
30000GBP £ 30 000 – 50 000
A Little Boy Lost, from: Songs of Experience
relief etching
the design printed in colours, the text printed in blue
circa 1793
on wove paper, without watermark
from the exceptionally rare First Issue, circa 1794, Copy G, Plate 50
printed by William Blake
with wide margins, with five stab holes at the left edge
Plate 109 x 68 mm.
Sheet 181 x 120 mm.
Provenance
With Quaritch, London, 1859-60 (bound, forty plates); and 1877 (rebound, fifteen plates); subsequently disbound and dispersed loose.
Possibly Julian Marshall (1836-1933), London; his sale, Sotheby's, London, 11 July 1904, lot 36 (eight plates) (£13; to Quaritch, London).
J. A. Fuller Maitland (1856-1936), Borwick Hall, Lancashire; his sale, Hodgson's, London, 29 October 1936 (inscribed by Keynes in pencil verso).
Sir Geoffrey Keynes (1887-1982), Cambridge; acquired from the above, then by descent.
Literature
SELECTED LITERATURE:
G. Keynes, and E. Wolf 2nd, William Blake’s Illuminated Books, A Census, New York, 1953, p. 58 (this impression cited).
G. Keynes, Bibliotheca Bibliographici: A Catalogue of the Library Formed by Geoffrey Keynes, London, 1964, no. 514 (this impression cited).
G. E. Bentley, Jr., Blake Books, Oxford, 1977, p. 415 (this impression cited).
D. Bindman, The Complete Graphic Works of William Blake, London, 1978, no. 259 (another impression illustrated).
M. Phillips, William Blake, The Creation of the Songs, From Manuscript to Illuminated Printing, London, 2000, p. 171 (this impression illustrated).
R. Essick, and J. Viscomi, eds. The William Blake Archive. www.williamblakearchive.org. Accessed October 2025.
Exhibited
Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, Works by William Blake, February-March 1914, no. 81i.
City of Nottingham Art Museum, Nottingham Castle, Works by William Blake, April 1914, no. 124.
The British Museum, London, William Blake and his Circle, Bicentenary Exhibition, 1957, no. 35.7.
Tate Gallery, London, William Blake, March-May 1978, no. 58 (this impression illustrated).
| Artist: | William Blake (1757 - 1827) |
|---|---|
| Applied technique: | Etching |
| Medium: | Acrylic glass, Plastic |
| Art style: | Old Masters |
| Place of origin: | Northern Europe, Europe, United Kingdom |
| Auction house category: | Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings, Prints & Multiples |
| Artist: | William Blake (1757 - 1827) |
|---|---|
| Applied technique: | Etching |
| Medium: | Acrylic glass, Plastic |
| Art style: | Old Masters |
| Place of origin: | Northern Europe, Europe, United Kingdom |
| Auction house category: | Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings, Prints & Multiples |
| Address of auction |
CHRISTIE'S 8 King Street, St. James's SW1Y 6QT London United Kingdom | |
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| Phone | +44 (0)20 7839 9060 | |
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