The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun

William Blake

c. 1805 · Pen and grey ink with watercolour over graphite · National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun

Girl with the Red Hat

Dedham Vale (The Vale of Dedham)

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Ships worldwide in 3–6 business days after production

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: William Blake (1757–1827)
Year: c. 1805
Medium: Pen and grey ink with watercolour over graphite
Original size: 40.8 × 33.7 cm
Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Movement: Romanticism

A vast winged dragon, seen from behind, looms over the woman clothed in the sun, who falls back in terror. The scene is from Revelation 12, where the dragon waits to devour the woman's child. Blake painted it in pen, ink and watercolour around 1805, as part of a commission from his patron Thomas Butts for more than a hundred biblical watercolours; four of them show the Great Red Dragon, two now in Washington, one in Brooklyn and one in Philadelphia's Rosenbach Museum. The Brooklyn sheet shows the dragon full-on; in this Washington version the viewpoint is different and the figures are rearranged. Light-sensitive, these watercolours are rarely on view. It passed from Butts through later collectors to Lessing J. Rosenwald, who gave it to the National Gallery of Art in 1943.

This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.

Where it works

A vast winged dragon seen from behind looming over a falling woman, a small intense watercolour for a study, library wall or hallway at 16×24 in black. A charcoal, deep red or warm grey wall; it is best away from a child's room.

Style: Romanticism painting
Era: 19th century (c. 1805)
Orientation: Portrait
Mood: grand
Rooms: living room, dining room
Good gift for: housewarming, art lovers

Size. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.

Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; oak lightens it.

Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).

Details & materials

• Restored in-house from the original painting — cleaned and colour-trued at museum resolution • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; 12×18 and 16×24 and 24×36 also available framed in black or natural wood • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The image fills the print at the painting's own proportions; nothing is trimmed to fit a frame.

Is The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun in the public domain?

Yes. William Blake (1757–1827) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by National Gallery of Art.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun painted, and in what medium?

The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun dates from c. 1805 and was made in pen and grey ink with watercolour over graphite; the original measures 40.8 × 33.7 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun (William Blake) — The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun · William Blake · c. 1805. This is a fine-art reproduction of a public-domain masterwork, shown whole and uncropped on a gallery ground, printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. Part of the Madten Fine Art Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

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The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days.

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