Satan Smiting Job with Boils is an intense, dramatically composed engraving created by William Blake in 1825. This work is part of Blake’s complete illustrations for the biblical Book of Job, a series widely considered among his most significant achievements in the latter half of his career. Classified as a portfolio piece, the image was executed as an engraving on thick paper, reflecting the artist’s characteristic dedication to printmaking as a primary artistic outlet during the pivotal 1801 to 1825 period. This specific scene depicts the moment Satan, granted permission by God to test Job's faith and resolve, descends to inflict painful, life-threatening boils upon the suffering patriarch.
Blake utilizes the precise, hard-edged lines of the engraving technique to enhance the spiritual terror and physical anguish of the narrative. The composition contrasts the muscular, imposing figure of Satan-who hovers menacingly above Job’s fallen form-with the despairing figures of Job and his wife below. The precise, hard-edged quality of the lines emphasizes the physical manifestation of Job's suffering, a hallmark of Blake’s approach to graphic media. As with many of Blake’s complex graphic works, this piece showcases his unique fusion of Neoclassical draftsmanship and highly personalized mystical symbolism, typical of high-quality prints created in the early 19th century.
The work firmly roots itself in the visionary tradition of British Romantic art. Blake, known for his singular artistic and poetic output, developed these illustrations late in life, distilling decades of theological and artistic inquiry into these powerful images. While initially created as commissioned artwork, the profound spiritual impact of the Book of Job illustrations secured their lasting place in art history. Today, the composition of Satan Smiting Job with Boils is widely studied, and high-resolution images, often available in the public domain, are accessible globally for research and appreciation. This specific example, dating from 1825, is held in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., preserving a crucial document of the artist’s unique creative legacy.
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