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At Length for hatching ripe/ he breaks the shell: P.442-1985

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An image of Print
Current Location: In storage

Titles

At Length for hatching ripe/ he breaks the shell
Plate 6, For the Sexes: The Gates of Paradise

Maker(s)

Printmaker: Blake, William
Publisher: Blake, William

Entities

Categories

Notes

History note: William Muir collection sold Sotheby's July 1953 with plate 1 from the collection of the Earl of Crewe.

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1985-04) by Keynes, Sir Geoffrey

Dating

1790s
1800s
1810s
Circa 1793 CE - Circa 1818 CE

Note

Fourth state. Part of 16 plates bound together in a volume. Part of the reissue c.1818.

School or Style

British

Materials used in production

Black carbon ink

Components of the work

Binding composed of leather ( red leather with gold gilding)
Support composed of paper
Sheet Height 312 mm Width 224 mm
Plate Height 64 mm Width 52 mm

Techniques used in production

Line engraving

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: At length for hatching ripe/ he breaks the shell
  • Location: Lower centre
  • Method of creation: Printed
  • Type: Title
  • Text: 6
  • Location: Lower left
  • Method of creation: Printed
  • Type: Number
  • Text: Published by W Blake 17 May 1793
  • Location: Lower centre
  • Method of creation: Printed
  • Type: Signature

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: P.442-1985
Primary reference Number: 118233
Bindman: 587
Bentley: 45

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Wednesday 15 October 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Paintings, Drawings and Prints

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "At Length for hatching ripe/ he breaks the shell" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/118233 Accessed: 2025-12-06 04:29:07

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/118233 |title=At Length for hatching ripe/ he breaks the shell |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-06 04:29:07|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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