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Saladin, and the Assassin

Saladin, and the Assassin

Maker (British, 1757 - 1827)
Additional Title(s)
  • Visionary heads [no. 6 of 9]
Collections
ClassificationsDRAWINGS
Dateca. 1819-1820
Mediumpencil on wove paper
Dimensionstop image (The Assassin): 3 9/16 x 6 5/8 in. (9 x 16.8 cm.) bottom image (Saladin): 6 7/16 x 5 1/4 in. (16.3 x 13.3 cm.) sheet: 12 5/16 x 7 7/8 in. (31.3 x 20 cm.)
DescriptionTwo drawings on one sheet. In 1272, an Assassin stabbed Prince Edward, later King Edward I, with a poisoned dagger. Blake had long been interested in this incident-see the third "Visionary Head," above. He may have been attracted to legends concerning Edward I as a result of his having drawn two pictures of the King's corpse when his tomb in Westminster Abbey was opened on 2 May 1774 (Society of Antiquaries, London; Butlin 1981, No. 1, 2). As Rossetti 1863, 244, notes, the bust of the would-be assassin is oddly "leonine." Indeed Blake would seem to be using the animal transformation technique of caricaturists and cartoonists to visualize literally a "beastly" character. The profile of Saladin (1138-93), famous for his chivalry, is that of a noble youth. As Rossetti 1863, 244, suggests, it is the "kind of head that might do for John the Evangelist." Although the great Moslem leader fought against the Crusaders in the Holy Land and was an enemy of the secret society of Assassins, there is no direct historical connection between Saladin and Edward I.
InscribedInscribed in upper right in pencil by Linnell: The Assassin laying dead at the feet of Ed.wd 1st in the holy land Inscribed in lower left: Saladin Inscribed in lower right: Blake fecit Inscribed in lower left in pencil: 6) Inscribed in lower right in pencil: 13 Inscribed below the drawing on the mount: VISIONARY HEAD OF SALADIN AND FIGURE OF THE ASSASSIN LYING DEAD [followed by a quotation from "Gilchrist"
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
Status
Not on view
Object number000.49
Terms