Fall of Nineveh, from Illustrations of the Bible
John Martin (English, 1789-1854)
1835
- Medium
- Mezzotint in black on ivory wove paper
- Classification
- 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.)
- Culture
- England
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Prints and Drawings
- Credit line
- Sara R. Shorey Endowment
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
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.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
