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Title
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Behemoth and Leviathan (1987)
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Student Commentary:
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At the top of this image of a detail from Blake’s Illustrations of the Book of Job (1987 facsimile), God is pointing down two of his creations, Behemoth and Leviathan. Behemoth is the creature who appears to have attributes of real animals such as a rhino, elephant and hippo; under him is Leviathan, an underwater sea monster. Both of these are creatures of chaos, who can only be created and destroyed by God himself. The group of people below God, who are looking at the creatures, consists of Job, his wife, and family. Blake surrounds the central illustration with his own selection of texts.
Close comparison of this image, from the high-quality 1987 facsimile, with that in the 1874 reprint made using Blake's original plates – both of which are in the library's collections – reveals that facsimiles will always fall somewhat short of the “real thing.” The added accessibility of and research material included with the 1987 facsimile, however, makes it an invaluable resource.
