ALT The Angels hovering over the body of Christ in the Sepulchre, a watercolour by William Blake, ca. 1805, commissioned by Thomas Butts, one of Blake's most loyal patrons, who commissioned Blake to make over 80 watercolours of subjects from the Bible. This watercolour depicts the body of Jesus Christ, which was placed in a cave (his tomb or sepulchre) following his death by crucifixion. When Mary Magdalene visits, she is startled to find two angels sitting at the head and feet 'where the body of Jesus had lain'. Jesus then appears and speaks to her. For his imagery Blake sought out a description in the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament. When the prophet Moses is alone on Mount Sinai, God tells him to instruct the Israelites to make a 'mercy seat' flanked by cherubims (angels) all made of gold. The description of the angels in Exodus is the source for Blake's design here. This is an unusual and striking visual interpretation of the biblical text. Text/Image via collections.vam.ac.uk