Satan Smiting Job with Boils
1825
Medium
engraving on thick paper
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.1673
Art Historical Context
William Blake's *Satan Smiting Job with Boils* (1825) is a powerful engraving from his monumental series of 21 illustrations for the Book of Job, drawn from the Old Testament. The scene captures a pivotal moment of suffering: the righteous Job, afflicted by divine trial, is tormented by Satan who hurls boils upon him, symbolizing profound spiritual and physical torment. Created late in Blake's life, this work reflects his lifelong fascination with biblical narratives, blending human anguish with cosmic drama in a visionary style emblematic of British Romanticism. Printed on thick laid paper u...
About the Artist
William Blake · 1757–1827
William Blake (1757–1827) stands as one of the most visionary and unconventional artists in British history, a poet-painter-printmaker whose mystical imagination and radical vision profoundly shaped the Romantic movement. Born in London's Soho district, Blake experienced visions from childhood—claiming to see angels in trees at age eight—and these spiritual encounters would guide his art throughou...