Axial Commons Image Treasury
Painting of a bearded, muscular figure crouching in a glowing yellow sun, extending a compass downward over dark rays and swirling clouds.

The Ancient of Days

A muscular, bearded figure crouches within a glowing yellow sun, reaching downward with a long compass that spans into the dark, rayed void below. Wild streaming hair and clouds framing the scene give it a dramatic, swirling energy. The painted and relief-etched image is rendered in warm yellows, reds, and deep shadows.

Artist
William Blake
Date
1794
Medium
Source
Wikimedia Commons / Wikidata
Size
2217 × 3004 px
Download full size
Public domain · William Blake died 1827 and the work dates by 1794; public domain in the US and life+70 countries.
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier B · as stated by the source: Public domain

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): William Blake, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Español: El Anciano de los Días, William Blake, 1794

Una figura musculosa y barbuda se agacha dentro de un sol amarillo resplandeciente, extendiendo hacia abajo un largo compás que se hunde en un vacío oscuro con rayos. Su cabello revuelto y las nubes que enmarcan la escena dan una energía dramática y arremolinada. La imagen, pintada a mano, usa amarillos y rojos cálidos con sombras profundas.

Português: O Ancião dos Dias, William Blake, 1794

Uma figura musculosa e barbuda agacha-se dentro de um sol amarelo brilhante, estendendo para baixo um longo compasso que se projeta na escuridão radiante abaixo. Os cabelos esvoaçantes e as nuvens que emolduram a cena dão um ar dramático e turbulento. A imagem, pintada à mão, combina amarelos e vermelhos quentes com sombras profundas.

More from Masterpieces

Oil painting of a seated woman in a red chair with clasped hands, dark green bodice, green skirt, and a patterned background of white flowers.Madame Roulin Rocking the Cradle (La Berceuse)Painting of a yellow wheat field under a swirling blue sky with dark crows, and a winding dirt path in the foreground.Wheatfield with CrowsPainting of a man with a bandaged ear, wearing a blue fur-trimmed cap and green overcoat, before a yellow-green wall with a Japanese print.Self-Portrait with Bandaged EarPoster of a woman in a blue work shirt and polka-dot bandana flexing her arm, with the words We Can Do It! in white across a yellow background."We Can Do It!"Women in classical dress pour water from urns into a bronze basin with lion-head spouts in a painting.The DanaidesPainting of a green and yellow wheat field with a tall cypress tree, a small white farmhouse, and a swirling blue sky.Green Wheat Field with Cypress