‘The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun’ is one of four watercolours painted by William Blake between 1805 and 1810 depicting the Great Red Dragon in various scenes from the Book of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament. They are part of a series of over 100 illustrations of the bible that Thomas Butts commissioned William Blake to paint.
The Book of Revelation, attributed to the prophet John, warns Christians to maintain and protect their faith through a series of John’s prophetic visions of the end of time, which portray the consequences of spiritual defection. ‘The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun’ illustrates the passage that describes “an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads” who descends upon “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” In this allegory, the dragon is an embodiment of Satan who seeks revenge against the woman because she has given birth to a devotee to God who will spread the Christian Faith.
The sanctity of the woman is shown as she is bathed in the sun and rests on a glowing crescent moon. Every other aspect of the painting is dark and without sunlight, she is surrounded by a tempest with lightning bolts and the impression of a turbulent sky controlled by the wings of the dragon. The dragon hovers above, waiting to engulf her and witness her demise, but God gives her wings so that she can fly to safety. The arms of both the woman and the dragon arch over each other in perfect symmetry, suggesting the duality of good and evil; they are connected and coexisting rather than disparate forces. The story and Blake’s illustration warn that both good and evil exist in all of us, and if we choose God, he will reward us with protection and love. In this work, Blake presents his belief that spiritual power - here represented in the purity and goodness of the women - will always prevail. Regardless of the circumstances, God will always be there to metaphorically give us wings.
Reviewed by Alice Dawson
Alice Dawson is an artist and writer based in London, currently completing a Masters in Sculpture at the Royal College of Art. Her work has recently been exhibited at Standpoint Gallery and Filet Project Space, with writing published in the Royal College of Art library. Through sculptural, written and moving image practices, Alice engages with spiritual solutions to societal disorder and ecological destruction, whereby our spiritual connection to the natural world is fundamental to our healing.
