Angel of the Revelation (Book of Revelation, chapter 10) by William Blake is a profound drawing created during the height of the artist’s engagement with prophetic and biblical themes, executed between approximately 1798 and 1810. This significant work, housed in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, showcases Blake’s mastery of complex mixed media, utilizing watercolor, pen and black ink, and brush and wash techniques over initial traces of graphite. This approach allows for both the precise outlining typical of his print designs and the ethereal luminosity required for depicting divine visions.
The drawing directly illustrates the biblical moment described in Revelation 10:1-7, where a mighty angel descends from heaven, standing with one foot upon the sea and the other upon the land, holding a small open book. Blake renders the colossal angel as a figure of muscular, sublime power, dwarfing the landscape and emphasizing the overwhelming nature of the divine message being delivered to the men observing the scene below. Although the main focus is the towering celestial being, Blake often integrates symbolic elements, including occasional references to horses and apocalyptic riders in similar prophetic drawings, reflecting his deep study of the scriptural text.
This piece exemplifies the Romantic era’s preoccupation with the spiritual sublime and provides a window into Blake’s intensely personal theological interpretations. Blake’s dedication to producing these visionary renderings cemented his status as a key figure in English art history. Today, as many of the artist's seminal works from this period have entered the public domain, high-quality prints and digital reproductions of drawings such as Angel of the Revelation are widely available, ensuring continued scholarly access to Blake’s unique visual cosmology.
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