The Ancient of Days Measuring Time, 1794 William Blake Watercolour, black ink and gold paint, over a relief etched outline painted in yellow. 9 1/4 x 6 5/8 [23.5 x 17.0] The figure is derived from the work of 18th century artists such as Pellegrini Tiboldi (“Neptune” and “Christ in Glory”) and the Christ figure in Michelangelo’s “Conversion of St. Paul” in the Pauline Chapel. Blake also made use of the compasses in The Book of Thel Earlier use of compasses as a symbol for the act of creation can be found in medieval manuscripts and early Bibles. Also note Albrecht Dürer’s Melencolia, and Astronomer.

Frontispiece to Europe: A Prophesy.Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester. (1970) There is also a copy in the British Museum : Relief etching with watercolor23.3 x 16.8 cm (9 1/8 x 6 7/8 in.), London. Also see Anthony Blunt, “Blake’s Ancient of Days: The Symbolism of the Compasses,” Journal of the Warburg Institute, II (1938), 53 ff.