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Fall of Nineveh, from Illustrations of the Bible

A work made of mezzotint in black on ivory wove paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of mezzotint in black on ivory wove paper.

Date:

1835

Artist:

John Martin
English, 1789-1854

About this artwork

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.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

John Martin

Title

Fall of Nineveh, from Illustrations of the Bible

Place

England (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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.)

Credit Line

Sara R. Shorey Endowment

Reference Number

1991.216.2

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/118007/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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