Line engraving on paper
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Art Fund
Collection
Illustrations to ‘The Book of Job’
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/william-blake-39" aria-label="More by William Blake" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">William Blake</a>
Behemoth and Leviathan
Purchased with the assistance of a special grant from the National Gallery and donations from the Art Fund, Lord Duveen and others, and presented through the Art Fund 1919
actions: expressive
actions: postures and motions
actions: processes and functions
adults
angel
animals: fantastic
animals: mammals
astronomy
Behemoth
Bible: Old Testament
caption
crouching
emotions, concepts and ideas
family
God
Heaven
Hell
hippopotamus
husband
inscriptions
Job
Job’s wife
Job, chapter 11
Job, chapter 12
Job, chapter 36
Job, chapter 37
Judaeo-Christian imagery
Leviathan
looking / watching
man
people
pointing
power
printed text
quotation
religion and belief
sea monster
society
star
symbols and personifications
universal concepts
universal religious imagery
wife
woman
<p>The Lord points down towards two beasts, Behemoth and Leviathan, and instructs Job about the extent and power of His creation. The right hand marginal text, from the Book of Job, describes Behemoth, who dominates the land, as 'the chief of the Ways of God.' Leviathan, a Sea Monster, is 'King over all the Children of Pride.' In his book 'Jerusalem' Blake has these two monsters representatives of war by land and by sea. This relationship is explicitly seen in Blake's two pictures showing Admiral Nelson and William Pitt included in this display. One interpretation of this design is that these beasts stand for the hopelessness of material nature. The Lord is pointing out to Job the negativeness of his faith so far.</p><p><em>Gallery label, September 1998</em></p>
paper unique line engraving
6 December 2004 – 15 August 2005
2005-08-15
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2004-12-06
Blake and Jerusalem
Collection based display
1 November 2011 – 21 October 2012
2012-10-21
1 November 2011 – 19 February 2012
2012-02-19
2011-11-01
State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow, Russia)
3 July 2012 – 21 October 2012
2012-10-21
2012-07-03
Fundació “la Caixa” (Madrid, Spain)
2011-11-01
Blake Exhibition
Loan-out
28 November 2011 – 19 February 2012
2012-02-19
1 November 2011 – 15 February 2012
2012-02-15
2011-11-01
State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow, Russia)
2011-11-28
Blake and British Visionary Art
Loan-out
15 February 2013 – 20 October 2013
2013-10-20
27 April 2013 – 30 June 2013
2013-06-30
2013-04-27
Nottingham Contemporary (Nottingham, UK)
http://www.nottinghamcontemporary.org/
2013-02-15
The Universal Addressability of Dumb Things
Loan-out
20 April 2015 – 7 May 2017
2017-05-07
20 April 2015 – 7 May 2017
2017-05-07
2015-04-20
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2015-04-20
William Blake
Collection based display
29 October 2024 – 30 September 2025
2025-09-30
30 October 2024 – 2 February 2025
2025-02-02
2024-10-30
Reggia di Venaria Reale (Turin, Italy)
1 September 2025 – 31 January 2026
2026-01-31
2025-09-01
Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest, Hungary)
1 March 2026 – 31 August 2026
2026-08-31
2026-03-01
External
2024-10-29
William Blake and the Age of Romantic Fantasy: British Art & Imagination
Loan-out
Behemoth and Leviathan
image: 208 × 161 mm
support: 499 × 338 mm
Purchased with the assistance of a special grant from the National Gallery and donations from the <a href="/search?gid=999999968" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">Art Fund</a>, Lord Duveen and others, and presented through the <a href="/search?gid=999999968" data-gtm-name="tombstone_link_bequest" data-gtm-destination="list-page--search-results">Art Fund</a> 1919
<p>The Lord points down towards two beasts, Behemoth  and Leviathan, and instructs Job about the extent  and power of His creation. The right hand marginal  text, from the Book of Job, describes Behemoth,  who dominates the land, as 'the chief of the Ways  of God.' Leviathan, a Sea Monster, is 'King over  all the Children of Pride.' In his book  'Jerusalem' Blake has these two monsters  representatives of war by land and by sea. This  relationship is explicitly seen in Blake's two  pictures showing Admiral Nelson and William Pitt  included in this display. One interpretation of  this design is that these beasts stand for the  hopelessness of material nature. The Lord is  pointing out to Job the negativeness of his faith  so far.</p>
Display caption
1998-09-29T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
<p><a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-behemoth-and-leviathan-a00026" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>A00026</span></a> [from] <b>Illustrations to <i>The Book of Job</i>: Engravings</b>
1823–6/1874 [<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-job-and-his-family-a00012" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>A00012</span></a>-<a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-job-and-his-family-restored-to-prosperity-a00032" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>A00032</span></a>; <a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-title-page-of-the-book-of-job-t05845" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>T05845</span></a>; complete]
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<p>A 00012–32 /-
<br/>Twenty-two line engravings on india paper laid on drawing paper approx. 510×345 (20×13 1/2)
<br/>Purchased with the assistance of a special grant from the National Gallery and donations from the National Art-Collections Fund, Lord Duveen and others, and presented through the National Art-Collections Fund 1919
<br/>PROVENANCE John Linnell; his heirs, sold Christie's 15 March 1918 (183) £33.12.0.bt Martin for the donors
<br/>LITERATURE Gilchrist 1863, 1, pp.283–4, 297; Wicksteed 1910 and 1924; Russell <i>Engravings</i> 1912, 102–15 no.33: Keynes <i>Bibliography</i> 1921, pp.179–82 no.55: Binyon and Keynes 1935, series repr. vol.VI; Keynes <i>Engravings</i> 1950, pp.16–17, series repr.pls. 42–68; Keynes <i>Writings</i> 1957, pp.869–70, 872, 874, 876–7; S. Foster Damon, <i>Blake's Job</i> 1966, series repr.; Bentley <i>Blake Records</i> 1969, pp.234 n.i, 277–397 <i>passim</i>, 586–605; Andrew Wright <i>Blake's Job: A Commentary</i> 1972, series repr.; Lindberg 1973, pp.24–32, 40–52, 167–76, 183–352 nos.0A–21A, series repr.; Bentley <i>Blake Books</i> 1977, pp.517–24 no.421; Bindman <i>Graphic Works</i> 1978, pp.486–7 nos.625–46, series repr.; Mitchell 1978, pp.41–2; Essick <i>Printmaker</i> 1981, pp.92, 105, 220, 234–50, 252; Robert N. Essick, ‘Blake's Engravings to the Book of Job; An Essay on their Graphic Form with a Catalogue of their States and Printings’ in David Bindman, ed., <i>William Blake's Illustrations of the Book of Job</i> 1987, pp.35–101.
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<p>John Linnell, who had commissioned the second set of <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/w/watercolour" title="Glossary definition for 'Watercolour'"><span>watercolour</span></a> illustrations to the Book of Job in 1821, entered into a formal agreement with Blake for the <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/e/engraving" title="Glossary definition for 'Engraving'"><span>engravings</span></a> on 25 March 1823: Linnell was to pay Blake £5 a plate or £100 for the set, and in addition he agreed to give Blake an extra £100 if the profits of the work made this possible. The agreement was for twenty engravings though in the event twenty-one subjects were engraved together with a title-page. On 5 March 1825 Linnell went with Blake to the printer J. Lahee to see proofs being taken. The series is dated 8 March 1825 but the final engravings do not seem actually to have been ready until the end of March 1826 (Bentley 1969, pp.277, 300 and 327). At this time 215 sets of engravings marked ‘<a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/proof" title="Glossary definition for 'Proof'"><span>Proof</span></a>’ were issued; these should be distinguished from the working proofs, on some of which Blake tried out designs for the borders. The word ‘Proof’ was then deleted (traces can be seen on <a class="acno-pop" data-gtm-destination="page--artwork" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-satan-before-the-throne-of-god-a00013" title="View the details of this artwork"><span>A00013</span></a>) and a further 100 sets were printed on <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/d/drawing" title="Glossary definition for 'Drawing'"><span>drawing</span></a> <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/paper" title="Glossary definition for 'Paper'"><span>paper</span></a>. According to John Linnell Jr, writing to Bernard Quaritch on 6 May 1892, Linnell, after the 1826 printing, ‘put the plates away, &amp; they were never again used after this time until the year 1874. At this time my father...had one hundred copies printed from the plates upon India paper’. Although the distinctive cover is now missing, it seems that the Tate Gallery's copies of the engravings are from this 1874 printing. The original plates were given by Herbert Linnell to the British Museum <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/print" title="Glossary definition for 'Print'"><span>Print</span></a> Room on 28 May 1919.
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<br/>Each engraving is inscribed ‘W Blake inv. &amp; sculp’. In addition each is inscribed in the lower margin with variations of the text ‘London. Published as the Act directs March 8:1825 by William Blake No3 Fountain Court Strand’; the first actual design (<span>A00012</span>) is mistakenly dated with the year 1828 and ‘Will<sup>m</sup>’ is sometimes substituted for ‘William’, while the punctuation is also slightly varied.
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<br/>More importantly, the borders of each design bear a number of inscriptions taken from the Bible or with variations of biblical texts. These add a verbal gloss to the designs which in themselves embody Blake's critical reaction to the original story as set out in the Old Testament. The fullest analysis is in Lindberg though Wicksteed, Damon 1966 and Wright also contain full commentaries. Blake's interpretation of his text is only given in summary form in this catalogue.
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<br/>These engravings were formerly inventoried as nos.3372 i–xxii. The new inventory numbers omit the title-page.
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<br/><span>A00026</span> <b>Behemoth and Leviathan</b>
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<br/>Line engraving 200×151 (7 7/8×5 15/16); platemark 218×170 (8 5/8×6 11/16)</p>
<p>Inscribed ‘WBlake invenit &amp; sculpt’ b.r., ‘London Published as the Act directs March 8:1825 by Will<sup>m</sup> Blake N3 Fountain Court Strand’ below, ‘15’ t.r., and with texts given below</p>
<p>EXHIBITED Tate Gallery 1958 (202, repr.)
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<br/>Illustration no.15: Job, xl, 15; xli, 34. Blake's main text only mentions Behemoth: ‘Behold now Behemoth which I made with thee’ (Job, xl, 15). However, the text in the right margin mentions both monsters: ‘Of Behemoth he saith. He is the chief of the ways of God/Of Leviathan he saith, He is King of all the Children of Pride’ (Job xl, 19; xli, 34). The other two quotations relate the monsters to natural phenomena: ‘Can any understand the spreadings of the Clouds/the noise of his Tabernacle’ (Job, xxxvi, 21), and ‘also by watering he wearyeth the thick cloud/He scattereth the bright cloud also it is turned about by his counsels’ (Job, xxxvii, 11–12).
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<br/>The Lord humbles Job by enumerating the extent and power of His creation. Leviathan is described in various places in the Bible as a sea-monster, while the representation of Behemoth as a hippopotamus is the traditional one. Blake shows them as presiding over land and sea respectively, perhaps, as Lindberg suggests, on the basis of the pseudo-epigraphical Fourth Book of Estras, vi, 47–52. In <i>Jerusalem</i> Blake makes the monsters the representatives of war by land and sea respectively (see nos.58 and 59), in a passage that describes the Spectre creating the material world and ‘refusing to believe without demonstration’ (Keynes <i>Writings</i> 1957, p.738). The monsters are therefore shown in a material, global world below that inhabited by Job and his companions. Lindberg suggests that this is Hell and that its global form is an attack on the scientific belief in the roundness of the earth; Blake was later to tell Crabb Robinson that ‘I do not believe that the world is round. I believe it quite flat’ (Bentley <i>Blake Records</i> 1969, pp.313, 541).</p>
<p>
<br/><b>Published in:</b>
<br/>Martin Butlin, <i>William Blake 1757-1827</i>, Tate Gallery Collections, V, London 1990
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Catalogue entry
2004-09-22T00:00:00
catalogue-entry
CATALOGUE_ENTRY
actions: expressive actions: postures and motions actions: processes and functions adults angel animals: fantastic animals: mammals astronomy Behemoth Bible: Old Testament caption crouching emotions, concepts and ideas family God Heaven Hell hippopotamus husband inscriptions Job Job, chapter 11 Job, chapter 12 Job, chapter 36 Job, chapter 37 Job’s wife Judaeo-Christian imagery Leviathan looking / watching man people pointing power printed text quotation religion and belief sea monster society star symbols and personifications universal concepts universal religious imagery wife woman