The number of the beast is 666

The Number of the Beast is 666 from 1805 continues Blake's series of Revelation illustrations. The apocalyptic number and its associated imagery fascinated Blake, who saw in Revelation a code for understanding the spiritual history of humanity. Blake's highly personal technique — combining watercolor, tempera, and sometimes relief etching — was inseparable from his visionary content; he worked outside the academic tradition, selling relatively little in his lifetime while creating some of the mo

The visionary composition combines precise figurative drawing with symbolic elements, Blake's characteristic technique of line and luminous wash creating an image of prophetic intensity.