Tornado–Zeus Battling Typhon, from Erasmus Darwin's "Botanic Garden"

Tornado–Zeus Battling Typhon, from Erasmus Darwin's "Botanic Garden" is a dramatic engraving executed by William Blake in 1795. Classified as a print, this powerful work functioned as an illustration for The Botanic Garden, an influential scientific poem by Erasmus Darwin, which used classical mythology to describe the natural world. Blake’s contribution reflects the prevailing intellectual currents of the late 18th century, blending heroic myth with the era’s fascination with natural forces and the sublime.

The print visually captures an intense moment of conflict, a subject central to the narrative. Blake utilizes the laborious engraving technique to render the chaotic energy of the mythological battle between Zeus, the Olympian god, and the serpentine monster Typhon. Zeus is depicted wreathed in lightning and dark clouds, symbolizing his mastery over meteorological power, while the colossal Typhon looms in a swirling vortex. This visual device transforms the epic struggle into a sublime natural catastrophe, linking the divine conflict to the physical force of a raging tornado.

This exceptional print is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Blake employed his distinctive visionary style, even within the constraints of commercial illustration, achieving intricate detail and dramatic contrast required by the engraving medium. The composition demonstrates Blake's technical precision and his lifelong fascination with epic narratives of creation and destruction. As one of Blake’s significant works from the period, the original prints often serve as reference points for studies on the Romantic era, and high-quality images of the piece are widely available in the public domain for research and appreciation.