Inlay in the Form of a Hieroglyph

After the French Revolution, artists such as the printmaker, painter, and poet William Blake drew subject matter from the biblical book of Revelation to contemplate the tumult of their era. This watercolor refers to the appearance of “a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet” and “a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns.” The dragon, identified with Satan, attempts to snatch a soon-to-be-born son from the frightened woman, who represents the Virgin Mary, Israel, and the church.

Though this imagery is highly personal, like much of Blake’s visionary poetry and art, it relates to his work as a reproductive engraver, borrowing its composition from a book illustration that he engraved after the Swiss artist Henry Fuseli in 1791.

This image emerged in contemporary popular culture when it appeared in the 2002 movie Red Dragon, tattooed on the back of a serial killer played by Ralph Fiennes.