“And Saul Said unto David, Go, and the Lord Be with Thee”

William Blake, c. 1780/1785

The image shows a sketch featuring three figures in full-body view. The central figure is standing with one arm raised high and the other resting by his side. He has curly hair and a beard, with minimal facial details, wearing a draped garment. To his left stands another figure, also standing, with long hair and a large beard, more pronounced facial features, and a long robe. On the right side is another standing figure with shorter hair and draped fabric, revealing most of the legs and arms. In the background, there are lightly sketched heads and shoulders of additional figures. The composition is against a plain backdrop, focusing on the figures without environmental details.
Artist
William Blake
Date
c. 1780/1785
Type
Drawing
Medium
pen and ink over graphite on laid paper
Dimensions
overall (approximate): 27.6 × 39.2 cm
Collection
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Licence
Public domain, CC0

Image description

The image shows a sketch featuring three figures in full-body view. The central figure is standing with one arm raised high and the other resting by his side. He has curly hair and a beard, with minimal facial details, wearing a draped garment. To his left stands another figure, also standing, with long hair and a large beard, more pronounced facial features, and a long robe. On the right side is another standing figure with shorter hair and draped fabric, revealing most of the legs and arms. In the background, there are lightly sketched heads and shoulders of additional figures. The composition is against a plain backdrop, focusing on the figures without environmental details.

William Blake