Artwork
The serpent caressing Eve
The serpent caressing Eve is a drawing by the Romanticist artist William Blake. It dates from 1808 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This 1808 pencil drawing by William Blake depicts a serpent entwined around a nude Eve in a forest setting. The work is characterized by simplicity and expressive lines.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing shows Eve, the biblical figure, with a serpent wrapped around her body, its head near her face. The scene may be related to Blake's other work, *The Temptation of Eve*.
Technique & Style
The drawing is executed in a simple, expressive style with bold lines and minimal detail, reflecting the Romanticism movement's emphasis on emotion and imagination.
History & Provenance
The work is documented in Dante Gabriel Rossetti's catalog and may have served as a preliminary study for *The Temptation of Eve*, now in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. A faint sketch on the reverse side shows a figure on a St. Andrew's Cross.
Artist & collection
Artist
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter and printmaker.
Mercury and a goddess
Woman Playing a Harp (Lavinia Banks?)![Woman in Toga [verso], by Hubert Robert](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/hubert-robert--woman-in-toga-verso--1c4b04982206f60e-w320.webp)
Woman in Toga [verso]![Statue of a Roman Woman (Female Deity?) Seen from the Side [verso], by Hubert Robert](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/hubert-robert--statue-of-a-roman-woman-female-deity-seen-from-the-side-vers--4bf9208a795411cc-w320.webp)
Statue of a Roman Woman (Female Deity?) Seen from the Side [verso]
Figure Studies
The Cap![Study of the "Ecorché" [recto], by Paul Cezanne](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/paul-cezanne--study-of-the-ecorche-recto--1614b86d796e004d-w320.webp)
Study of the "Ecorché" [recto]
Passion II (Leidenschaft II)
Saint John the Baptist![The Belvedere Torso [verso], by William Blake](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/william-blake--the-belvedere-torso-verso--3124534f87673a3a-w320.webp)
The Belvedere Torso [verso]
Standing Woman Holding a Scroll![Study of a Foot [verso], by Benjamin Haydon](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/benjamin-haydon--study-of-a-foot-verso--1953df802be24b7d-w320.webp)
Study of a Foot [verso]