- Date
- n.d.
- Accession number
- 000.44
- Dimensions
- 9 1/4 x 7 1/2 in. (23.5 x 19 cm.)
sheet: 10 x 7 5/8 in. (25.4 x 19.4 cm.)
- Medium
- pencil
- Description
- A replica (?) of Blake's original of ca. 1819-20.
An almost identical, but slightly larger, head of Canute is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington (Butlin 1981, No. 721). A good many lines in the Huntington drawing have been strengthened in a rather mechanical and studied manner, suggesting that it was copied from the other version, perhaps with the aid of the graphic telescope. There is also a counterproof, made from the National Gallery drawing, in the collection of Jonathon Wordsworth, Oxford (Butlin 1981, No. 723).
Canute, (or Cnut, 994?-1035), greatest of the Danish kings of ancient Briton, is remembered in most chronicles as a brave warrior, a fierce but just ruler, and a patron of the church and of poets. The elaborate crown he wears in this "Visionary Head" may be Blake's response to the legend that Canute once placed his crown on a statue of Christ as a sign of humility. Blake's portrayal emphasizes Canute's nobility, and perhaps even a visionary glimmer in his upturned eyes.
- Credit
- The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
- Department
- European Art
