Angels hovering over the body of Christ in the Holy Sepulcher

The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, the UK.

Pen, ink, watercolour, paper.

The work is based on the biblical story of the resurrection of Christ. The scripture says that when Mary Magdalene entered the tomb, she saw two soaring angels, but the body of Jesus was nowhere to be found. William Blake interpreted this plot in his way, depicting two beautiful angels soaring right above the body, that is, immediately before the resurrection. Such a free interpretation was unacceptable during the life of the artist, but at a later time, starting with the movement of the Pre-Raphaelites, the creative adaptation of biblical subjects became widespread.