1827
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Circle of the Thieves; Agnolo Brunelleschi Attacked by a Six-Footed Serpent is a 1827 ink by William Blake, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows a chaotic scene with five figures. On the left, two people in robes stand close together, looking toward a scaly monster with six legs and a huge, horned head. The monster’s tail coils around its body, and it seems to be attacking a man in the center. To the right, two other figures—one naked, one half-clothed—stand with their hands raised, as if scared or pleading. The background has jagged rocks and a stormy sky. The artist used sharp lines and heavy shading to make the scene feel dramatic and intense. The monster’s detailed scales and the figures’ expressions show a lot of effort in the drawing. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like Blake created these precise, textured images.
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter and printmaker.
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