SothebyBlairdesigns

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Press ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Matthew Weigman

Lauren Gioia(212) 606-7176

fax: (212) 606-7381

GREATEST BLAKE DISCOVERY IN 100 YEARSLOST WATERCOLORS TO BE SOLD BY SOTHEBYS IN NEW YORK

MOST IMPORTANT OFFERING OF WORKS BY THE ARTIST EVER TO APPEARAT AUCTION ESTIMATED TO BRING $12/17.5 MILLION ON MAY 2, 2006

WATERCOLORS WILL BE EXHIBITED IN LONDON, PARIS, CHICAGO, LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK

New York, NY -- On May 2, 2006 Sothebys will offer an unprecedented collection of watercolors by William

Blake that had been lost to scholars since 1836. The 19

illustrations for an 18th century poem by Robert Blair, entitled

The Grave, were executed in 1805. Twelve were used as the

basis for an illustrated edition of the poem, published in 1808,

which was partly responsible for Blakes fame as an artist in the

19th century. The watercolors were exhibited by the publisher

and then disappeared completely in 1836, only to berediscovered in a Glasgow bookshop in 2001. Following their

discovery, a legal battle to establish ownership ensued and was

settled out of court before the folio was sold to a private

collector. Heralded by scholars as arguably the most important

Blake discovery in more than a century, the watercolors will be

sold individually, and are estimated to bring $12/17.5 million in

total. Prior to their exhibition and sale in New York, the

watercolors will be on view at Sothebys offices in London, Paris,

Chicago and Los Angeles (see page 4 for details).

George Wachter, Vice Chairman and Co-Chairman of Sothebys

Old Master Paintings Department Worldwide, said, It is an honor

for Sothebys to handle these exceptional works of art. The

combination of their inherent beauty and pristine condition is a boon to collectors and institutions alike.

(Pictured:Deat hs Door, est. $1/1.5 million)


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Dr. Nancy Bialler, Senior Vice President in Sothebys Old Master Drawings Department, said, William Blake, an

accomplished poet and prodigiously talented draughtsman,

is an artist who transcends collecting categories. The

present drawings, rediscovered after 165 years, show him

at the height of his powers, engaged with subjects of

universal importance and broad appeal.

The drawings in pen and ink over traces of pencil are

delicately water colored in a subtle range of hues. They

have remained on their original mounts and have survived

undisturbed in nearly perfect condition. The watercolors

demonstrate not only the most important hallmarks of

Blakes work, but also show this artist of genius taking on

some of the weightiest subjects possible such as Deaths

Door, The Day of Judgment, Death of the Strong Wicked

Man and The Soul Hovering over the Body Reluctantly

Parting with Life. While twelve of Blakes drawings were

engraved, seven were hitherto unknown and demonstrate

how Blake used the text of a popular classic as a starting

point for his own meditations on timeless themes. Their

remarkable reappearance has been referred to by a noted expert on the artist, as, arguably the most important

[discovery] since Blake began to be appreciated in the second half of the nineteenth century. (Pictured right:

Whilst, surfeited upon thy Damask Cheek, the high-fed Worm in lazy Volumes rolld, riots unscrd , est.

$1/1.5 million)

In October 1805, publisher Robert H.

Cromek commissioned William Blake to

prepare forty drawings illustrating

Robert Blair's The Grave, an enormously

popular "Graveyard" school poem first

published in 1743. Originally Blake was

to provide 40 drawings, from which 20

would be chosen and engraved to

illustrate a deluxe edition of the poem.

Blakes twenty finished watercolors were

a great success and lauded by the artists

contemporaries, but Cromek hired a

more conventional engraver for the task,

possibly after seeing Blakes experimental engraving of Deaths Door. The finished work came out in 1808 and

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contained twelve engravings by Louis Schiavonetti, which were based on Blakes watercolors. Even though Blake

lost out on the commission to engrave his own designs, the book was a great success and his most famous work

during the 19th century. (Pictured above: Death of the Strong Wicked Man, est. $1/1.5 million)

Cromek kept the watercolors and used them in his efforts to obtain subscribers for the book. Upon his death,

the watercolors passed to his widow and next appeared at auction in Edinburgh on February 17, 1836, wherethey are sold for a pittance -- 1.25. Following that auction, the drawings disappeared completely until two

Yorkshire book dealers stumbled upon them in a Glasgow bookshop in the summer of 2001. Following their

authentication, a dispute over their ownership was resolved out of court and the watercolors were sold to a

European based private collector for an undisclosed sum.

(Inscribed Title Page Design for The Grave, est. $180/260,000)

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EXHIBITION SCHEDULE

Sothebys London March 9th through 15th

34-35 New Bond StreetLondon W1A 2AATel: 44 20 7293 5000

Sothebys Paris March 18 th through 24th76 rue du Faubourg St. Honore75008 ParisTel: 33 1 53 05 53 05

Sothebys Chicago March 27th and 28th188 East Walton PlaceChicago, Illinois 60611Tel: 312 475 7900

Sothebys New York March 31st through April 5th

1334 York Avenue

New York, NY 10021Tel: 212 606 7000

Sothebys Los Angeles April 10th and 11th

9665 Wilshire BoulevardBeverly Hills, California 90212Tel: 310 274 0340

Sothebys New York April 28 th through May 1st

1334 York AvenueNew York, NY 10021Tel: 212 606 7000

Auction in New York May 2, 2006

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Documents

SothebyBlairdesigns