George Romney and Ozias Humphrey as collectors of William Blake's illuminated printing

• Published in: Blake Vol. 50
• Main Author: Paley, Morton D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2016
• ISSN: 0160-628X

The importance of the artists George Romney and Ozias Humphrey as collectors of William Blake in the mid-1790s has yet to be fully described and evaluated. Although Romney had told their mutual friend John Flaxman that Blake's historical drawings "rank with thos M. Angelo," his early acquisition of at least five (or four if the "Songs" are counted as one book) illuminated books was unknown until 1989. Humphry's role as a Blake collector has long been known, but most scholarly attention has been on his later relations with Blake, especially his obtaining for Blake the commission for one of the "Last judgment" drawings and eliciting a detailed written description of it in 1808, rather than on his importance to Blake as a client earlier. [Abridged Publication Abstract]