Artwork

The Soul Hovering Over the Body [from Marriage of Heaven and Hell," plate 14]

The Soul Hovering Over the Body [from Marriage of Heaven and Hell," plate 14] is an ink print by the Romanticist artist William Blake. It dates from 1796 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:upper right in ink: 9; bottom center in ink: "a Flaming Sword" / "Revolving every way"
Markings: Marked:verso, stamped in black ink: Lessing Julius Rosenwald (Lugt 1760b); stamped in black ink: National Gallery of Art, Rosenwald Collection (Lugt 1932d)

About this work

Overview

Created around 1796, The Soul Hovering Over the Body is a small relief etching printed in colour, taken from William Blake’s illustrated series Marriage of Heaven and Hell. The work presents a luminous figure suspended above a recumbent body, rendered in Blake’s characteristic combination of line and colour.

Subject & Meaning

The composition juxtaposes a serene, ethereal presence with a motionless, sleeping form, suggesting a dialogue between spirit and flesh. The hovering figure’s tranquil expression and flowing robes convey an otherworldly calm, while the prone body’s stillness invites contemplation of the soul’s relationship to the material self.

Technique & Style

Blake employed his relief etching method, incising the design on a copper plate and printing it with hand‑applied pigments. The image combines bold outlines with soft, layered washes of blue and red, achieving depth through multiple impressions, a hallmark of Blake’s experimental printmaking.

History & Provenance

The plate was produced in London during Blake’s most prolific period of visionary publishing. It remained within the artist’s estate before entering private collections in the 19th century, eventually being acquired by a museum dedicated to British Romantic art.

Context

The Soul Hovering Over the Body belongs to the larger narrative of Marriage of Heaven and Hell, a work in which Blake explores the interdependence of opposites, good and evil, body and spirit. The image reflects his broader prophetic oeuvre, which merges poetic philosophy with visual symbolism.