Satan Going Forth from the Presence of the Lord

Blake employed the traditional intaglio engraving process, incising fine lines into a copper plate before inking and pressing onto paper. His characteristic use of sharp, intersecting lines and stark chiaroscuro creates a three‑dimensional effect within the flat medium. The dense hatching and cross‑hatching generate deep shadows, while the intricate detailing of the figures and background demonstrates Blake’s meticulous hand and his penchant for symbolic visual complexity.

Blake, who lived and worked primarily in London, produced the print during the later stage of his career, a period marked by the creation of his so‑called “prophetic” series. Although the work received little attention in his lifetime, it later entered collections that recognize Blake’s contribution to Romantic visual culture. The print has been documented in several museum holdings and scholarly catalogues of Blake’s graphic oeuvre.

The image draws on the biblical narrative of Satan’s expulsion from the heavenly throne, a theme that resonated with Blake’s broader theological and mythic concerns. Situated among his other prophetic engravings, the piece reflects his belief in the power of imagination to reinterpret sacred stories. Contemporary critics such as Northrop Frye have highlighted the depth of Blake’s symbolic language, noting that his visionary prints, though obscure to his contemporaries, anticipate later Romantic and modernist sensibilities.