Artwork

The Circle of the Corrupt Officials; the Devils Mauling Each Other

The Circle of the Corrupt Officials; the Devils Mauling Each Other is an ink print by the Romanticist artist William Blake. It dates from 1827 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1827, *The Circle of the Corrupt Officials; the Devils Mauling Each Other* is an engraving by William Blake, produced shortly after his return to London from a three‑year stay in Felpham. It belongs to the final phase of Blake’s career, when his output increasingly merged poetic vision with visual invention, forming part of the body of work later termed his “prophetic” series.

Subject & Meaning

The print depicts two naked, shaggy figures locked in a violent struggle amid a storm‑tossed sea, their faces contorted with rage. Behind them, additional figures stand on a craggy shore, observing the melee. The turbulent waves and dark sky amplify a sense of chaos, suggesting a moral or political commentary on the self‑destruction of corrupt power.

Technique & Style

Blake employed a network of sharp, scratchy lines to convey motion and emotional intensity. The figures are rendered with a rough, unrefined texture, emphasizing their primal nature rather than idealized beauty. Swirling incisions form the sea and clouds, creating a dynamic, almost tactile surface that is characteristic of Blake’s later printmaking.

History & Provenance

The engraving was executed late in Blake’s life, during a period when he focused on his prophetic visions that would later be recognized as central to Romantic visual culture. While the original plate’s ownership history is not extensively documented, the work has been cited in scholarly discussions of Blake’s print oeuvre and has appeared in several museum collections dedicated to 19th‑century British art.