The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 21, 2025
Sketch for "The Thought of Death alone, the Fear Destroys"
c. 1795
(British, 1757–1827)
Sheet: 17 x 30.8 cm (6 11/16 x 12 1/8 in.)
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1932.318
Location: Not on view
Description
This sketch of a shepherd sleeping with his dog at the edge of a precipice relates to one of the nearly 550 watercolors that William Blake created for the 1797 edition of Edward Young’s The Complaint, and the Consolation; or, Night Thoughts, a long poem about death and salvation originally published in 1742–45. Blake worked extensively with books as an author and illustrator, and also engraved the work of others for publication. Night Thoughts was one of his most ambitious commercial projects. Unfortunately, only one of the four planned volumes was ever produced, since Richard Edwards, who had commissioned the work, closed his publishing business.- William A. White, Brooklyn, NY(The Rosenbach Museum & Library, Philadelphia, PA)October 20, 1932-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Fairy Tales and Fables: Illustration and Storytelling in Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 4-September 8, 2024).Wunderblock. The Royal Riding School, Vienna, Austria (April 27-August 26, 1989).40th Anniversary Exhibition of the Print Club of Cleveland. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 3, 1959-January 20, 1960).Drawings from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 17-August 24, 1942).Drawings from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 11-October 3, 1940).Drawings from the Collection of Sir Robert Witt, London. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (September 30-October 30, 1938).Drawings from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 28-December 9, 1937).
- {{cite web|title=Sketch for "The Thought of Death alone, the Fear Destroys"|url=false|author=William Blake|year=c. 1795|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1932.318