William Blake's Ancient of Days Guitar — Painted by Adrian Card

A private commission to paint William Blake's famous image "The Ancient of Days" directly onto the guitar.

The owner of this guitar asked if I could paint William Blake's famous image titled "The Ancient of Days" on his guitar. Blake's image — the aged figure of Urizen, the demiurge, reaching down from a circle of light to measure the world with a great compass — is one of the most iconic images in the history of Western art. Translating it from Blake's original relief etching and watercolour onto the spruce soundboard of a guitar required adapting the composition to the instrument's shape while preserving the drama and luminosity of the original. The figure is painted directly on the wood, with the warm grain of the spruce becoming part of the image.