William Blake's illustrations of On the Morning of Christ's Nativity facts for kids

The Descent of Peace, 1803–1817, most likely c. 1815

William Blake was a famous artist and poet. He created beautiful drawings and paintings for a special poem by John Milton. The poem is called On the Morning of Christ's Nativity. Blake made these illustrations between 1803 and 1815. There are 16 of these artworks that we still have today. They include two sets of six watercolour paintings each. There are also four extra drawings made with pencil.

We don't know the exact dates when Blake made these sets of paintings. We also don't know the order he wanted them to be seen in. The two sets of watercolours are known by different names. They are called the "Butts set" and the "Thomas set" after the people who owned them. Or, they are called the "Huntington set" and the "Whitworth set." This is because the Huntington Library and the Whitworth Art Gallery now keep them safe.

Who Owned These Artworks?

We don't know much about who owned the "Thomas set" or the "Butts set" before the mid-1800s. This makes it hard to know their exact dates. We do know that Reverend Joseph Thomas asked Blake to create the "Thomas set." Reverend Thomas had also asked Blake to illustrate other poems by Milton, like Comus and Paradise Lost.

There isn't a written agreement for this project. But Blake probably started the work around 1809, which is when the illustrations were finished. Blake was very happy to get this job. He loved illustrating Milton's poems and couldn't say no. The "Thomas set" likely stayed with the Thomas family for many years. It was later sold in 1872. By 1876, the artworks were owned by J.E. Taylor. He then gave them to the Whitworth Art Gallery in 1892.

We know even less about when the "Butts set" was made. Between 1811 and 1820, Blake made many designs for Thomas Butts. These included the illustrations for On the Morning of Christ's Nativity. Later, the "Butts set" was passed down to Thomas Butts' son. He sold them in 1852. After being owned by a few different people, they were sold again in 1912. In 1916, Henry Huntington bought them.

When Were They Made and What's Their Order?

The illustrations themselves don't make it easy to figure out their dates. The edges of the "Thomas set" were cut before they were sold. This left only "18" or "180" on most of the pages. Only one painting, The Night of Peace, clearly shows the full date of 1809. The "Butts set" has no dates at all. Experts have suggested dates for it from 1803 to 1817. Some believe the "Butts set" was made before the "Thomas set."

The order of the illustrations is also something experts discuss. The "Thomas set" had numbers 1-6 written on the back of their frames. But these numbers were added much later, after they were sold in 1872. So, they probably don't show the order Blake wanted. The original order listed was:

• The Descent of Peace
• The Annunciation to the Shepherds
• The Flight of Moloch
• The Old Dragon
• The Overthrow of Apollo and the Pagan Gods
• The Night of Peace

Most experts today believe the order should follow the verses in Milton's poem. They try to match the pictures to the story's flow. For example, some experts move The Flight of Moloch closer to the end. This helps it match the part of the poem it illustrates. Other experts look for themes in the pictures. They might arrange them to show how old gods are destroyed or how evil is defeated.

Pictures of the Illustrations

The order of the pictures below follows what most experts agree on today.

Thomas set	Butts set	Title	What it shows from the poem	Other Blake artworks
		The Descent of Peace	Hymn, Stanzas 1-3 "It was the winter wild, While the Heav'n-born child, All meanly wrapt in the rude manger lies..."	This painting from around 1800 looks a lot like the "Butts set" version. This helped experts guess the date of the "Butts set."
		The Annunciation to the Shepherds	Hymn, Stanzas 8-12 "At last surrounds their sight A globe of circular light, That with long beams the shame-fac'd Night array'd..."
		The Old Dragon	Hymn, Stanza 18 "Th'old Dragon under ground, In straighter limits bound, Not half so far casts his usurped sway..."
		The Overthrow of Apollo and the Pagan Gods	Hymn, Stanzas 19-23 "Apollo from his shrine Can no more divine, With hollow shriek the steep of Delphos leaving..."
		The Flight of Moloch	Hymn, Stanza 23 "In vain with cymbals' ring They call the grisly king, In dismal dance about the furnace blue..."
		The Night of Peace	Hymn, Stanza 27 "Heav'n's youngest-teemed star, Hath fix'd her polish'd car, Her sleeping Lord with handmaid lamp attending..."