Satan Going Forth from the Presence of the Lord

Blake employed the relief engraving method, incising his design into a copper plate and printing it onto fine India paper. The print’s intricate hatching, sharp contour lines, and ornamental border motifs generate a sense of movement and turbulence. The stark black‑and‑white palette heightens the dramatic tension inherent in the narrative.

Blake produced the work during the later phase of his career, a period when his innovative prints were largely overlooked by contemporary audiences. The engraving remained in private collections for much of the 19th century before entering public holdings in the early 20th century, where it has been cited as a key example of his printmaking output.

Situated within the Romantic era, the piece reflects the period’s fascination with the sublime and the supernatural. Blake’s integration of biblical text around the image underscores his belief in the unity of visual and literary expression, a hallmark of his broader artistic philosophy.