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size is attached; but this has been roughly, not accurately, and no doubt not always uniformly, estimated.
The reader should also bear in mind that the exact relative excellence of the several works cannot be fully expressed work by work. It has already been explained elsewhere that the most complete, solid, and powerful works in colour left by Blake are to be found among his colour-printed designs. His water-colours are all, comparatively speaking, washy and slight: but some have a general character of strength, brilliancy, &c. of execution; and these may be spoken of below, with the needful implied reservation, as strong and brilliant.
Some catalogue on the plan of the ensuing is peculiarly necessary in the case of Blake. His life consisted in imaginative insight, and in the embodiment of that insight in the form of art. The list of his paintings and designs is therefore a most important part of his life. I am in hopes that the extraordinary amount of original thought and invention which belongs to these works will be, to some extent, appreciable even through so imperfect a medium as that of an annotated Catalogue, and will render this somewhat less tedious to look through than would be the case with regard to most—or indeed to almost all—other artists.
I may add that ten of the subjects specified in this Catalogue have been etched (or lithographed) by Mr. William Bell Scott in his publication named William Blake (Chatto and Windus, 1878). They are—The Ascent of the Just; the Sea and Rainbow (which Mr. Scott identifies with the Deluge; the Semi-human Elephants; The Nativity; St. Matthew; The Babylonian Woman on the Seven-headed Beast; The Creation of Eve; Adam and Eve watched by Satan; the Eating of the Forbidden Fruit; Adam's Vision of the Crucifixion.]
