William Blake
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins
From $100
This painting is fiery oranges and cool greys on paper, and a cheap copy turns the delicate washes flat. Our Blake Simoniac Pope print is made from a museum-quality scan, unretouched, so the flames stay bright and the washes delicate.
Canvas, framed or paper
Stretched canvas. Printed on cotton canvas and stretched taut over a frame. The edges are mirror-wrapped, so the picture continues around the sides and none of it is lost to the fold.
Framed canvas. The same canvas, set in a black, white, natural wood or dark wood frame 0.83 in deep. The frame gives the work a finished edge and a little more presence on the wall.
Framed print. Printed on fine art matte paper and framed in solid pine, behind shatterproof plexiglass, in black, white, natural wood or dark wood. It arrives ready to hang. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame.
Fine art print. Printed on 310gsm fine art matte paper, for framing your own way. It travels rolled and protected. From 18x24 inch.
Sizes
12x16 inch, 20x28 inch, 28x40 inch. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.
On your wall
Its tall shape suits a study, a hallway or a living room wall. The oranges, greys and blues look rich with cream, slate and walnut, and a black or natural wood frame suits it.
About the painting
The Simoniac Pope by William Blake
A visionary in London
William Blake, a hosier’s son from Soho, trained as an engraver and became a poet and painter of visions. Barely recognised in his lifetime, he is now one of the great figures of the Romantic age.
His last great work
From 1824 Blake painted Dante’s Divine Comedy for his young patron John Linnell, and was still working on it the day he died in 1827.
Into the fire
In Hell, Dante finds the popes who sold church offices for money thrust head-first into holes of fire. Blake painted one of them, flames licking his feet. The Tate bought this sheet in 1919.
Read the story
A dark, rocky pit. In the middle, a ring of fire, and plunged head-first into it, a man in a pope's robes, his legs kicking in the flames. On the edge above, two travellers lean in to look.
This is a scene from Dante's Inferno. In the eighth circle of Hell, Dante finds the popes who sold holy offices for money, a sin called simony. Their punishment is to be pushed upside down into holes in the rock, with fire burning the soles of their feet.
William Blake painted it in London in the 1820s, near the end of his life. He was an engraver and poet who said he saw visions, and in his old age a young painter, John Linnell, asked him to illustrate the whole of Dante's poem.
Look at the colours. Cool blues and greys for the rock, and hot orange and red for the flames, all laid on in delicate washes of watercolour.
Blake was still working on the Dante series on the day he died, in 1827. In 1919 the Tate in London bought this sheet.
The Simoniac Pope. William Blake.
How each piece is brought to life
Faithful to the original, and made to be felt on your wall.
Graded against the original
We compare every work with the original as we grade it, keeping the artist’s colours true while bringing back their depth and glow. Every mark stays the artist’s own.
Printed for you
Printed to order on cotton canvas or fine art paper, then framed if you chose a frame, in 1 to 3 business days.
On your wall
It arrives 5 to 12 business days later, tracked and free anywhere in the US. Framed pieces come ready to hang.
Questions
Is this the original painting?
No. The original hangs in a museum. What you receive is a fine art reproduction, remastered from the original and printed for you, with every mark where the artist left it.
Will the colour look flat?
This is where most reproductions disappoint, and it is where we spend the most time. Each work is graded side by side with the original: faithful to the artist’s colours, with the depth and warmth brought back, so it moves you on the wall the way it was meant to. Canvas reads a touch softer than a backlit screen, and every screen shows colour a little differently.
Will the edges be cropped?
Each size is a standard frame size, so we fit the painting by trimming a little from its edges. We never stretch or squash it, and we check every size by eye so no face, figure or signature is cut. On canvas the edges are mirror-wrapped, which keeps the whole picture on the front.
Which size is right for my wall?
Aim for about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it. Over a sofa or a sideboard, one of the two largest sizes will hold the wall. The size guide lists every size in inches and centimetres, with the kind of wall each one suits.
How long does it take?
Your piece is printed in 1–3 business days, then spends 5–12 business days in transit, tracked all the way. Delivery is free anywhere in the US. We are unable to deliver to PO boxes.
What if it arrives damaged?
Send us a photograph and we will remake it and send it again. There is nothing to return.
Can I return it?
Yes, within 30 days of delivery. Our returns policy has the details.
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Printed to order
Graded against the original, then printed for you on cotton canvas or fine art paper in 1–3 business days.
The whole painting
Every mark is the artist’s own, and canvas edges are mirror-wrapped so the whole picture stays on the front.
Free US shipping
On every order, tracked, 5–12 business days in transit.
30-day returns
Returns and exchanges within 30 days of delivery.
