John Martin
English, 1789-1854
Fall of Nineveh, from Illustrations of the Bible
INV-1180
John Martin
English, 1789-18541835
Fall of Nineveh, from Illustrations of the Bible
John Martin English, 1789-1854 →mezzotintprint
Date
1835
Medium
Mezzotint in black on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 19 × 29 cm (7 1/2 × 11 7/16 in.); Plate: 26.8 × 35.7 cm (10 9/16 × 14 1/16 in.); Sheet: 32.9 × 41.6 cm (13 × 16 7/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Sara R. Shorey Endowment
After gaining early fame with his impressive biblical paintings and earning recognition as a printmaker, John Martin returned to biblical themes later in life with Illustrations of the Bible. The mezzotint process, in which the entire plate is roughened and then burnished to create highlights, accentuated Martin’s breathtaking visions of the Bible. He changed his usual literal approach to illustration and took some liberties with the text in these portrayals. Unfortunately, due perhaps to its high price and the glut of prints in the market, Illustrations of the Bible was a commercial failure and the series was never completed.
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