Satan Before the Throne of God

William Blake

National Gallery of Art

This is a print showing several people in multiple layers against a cloudy sky. At the very top, a man with a long white beard sits with a book open on his lap, draped in long robes, looking down. There is a large white circle behind him with rays emanating from it. Below him, several people seem to float in the air. Many of them have their hands extended towards a central person who is surrounded by dark, swirling lines. This person is in a dynamic pose, with their legs extended as if in a large leap, and their hands stretched up as they gaze towards the seated figure at the top of the print. Below them is a line of people seated on wooden benches, many of them holding books or scrolls. In the center, a bearded man holds a book open towards two floating people on the left who hold long scrolls. All the people in the print have light skin. Around this print is a frame made of curving, thin lines with several sections of text and some small illustrations of birds and shepherds.