John Martin

The Deluge   1828

Original mezzotint with etching.

The spectacular large plate mezzotint engraved by John Martin himself. Rare.

Rich, dark impression of the earlier version of this brilliant mezzotint with deep velvety blacks and impressive tonal range. Prior to the major alterations which John Martin made to the lower left area of the image and prior to the addition of further rain effects across the centre of the image.

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Belshazzar’s Feast (First steel plate)   1826

Original mezzotint with etching.

The magnificent large plate mezzotint engraved by John Martin himself. Outstanding impression with strong blacks and impressive tonal range. An especially fine and totally intact example of the completed engraving, with full margins and in unusually good condition. Rare.

Belshazzar’s Feast (First steel plate) was the first large-scale soft steel mezzotint ever engraved by any artist and was also the first original large-scale mezzotint engraving to be completed by John Martin himself.

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Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still (Steel plate)   1827

Original mezzotint with etching.

The original large-scale mezzotint engraving by John Martin himself. Rare.

Very good impression in the lighter variant inking scheme. A very good example in the completed state of the plate.

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The Crucifixion   1834

Original mezzotint with etching.

Very good impression printed with specially shaded warm-toned ink in the distant city at upper right. In this comparatively early impression, the shaded parts of the city of Jerusalem are printed clearly, with the pointed obelisk still visible – in later impressions these parts of the city become a uniform sea of darkness and the obelisk disappears.

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Eve at the Fountain   1824/1826

Original mezzotint with etching and touches of drypoint.

Outstanding Imperial Folio proof impression of the larger version of this subject, with velvety mezzotint burr and bright white highlights.
Fully lettered proof on the largest format of paper, as issued for the extremely rare
Imperial Folio edition which was limited to only 50 copies.

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The Angels Guarding Paradise by Night   1824/1826

Original mezzotint with etching.

Excellent fully lettered proof impression, of the larger version of this subject, with rich blacks and bright white highlights. As issued for the first edition of Milton’s Paradise Lost to include John Martin’s illustrations, as published in parts by Septimus Prowett, 1826 – this proof impression would not, however, have been available with the standard issue which included only normal lettered prints. Lettered proofs of this nature are far superior in quality to the lettered prints issued for the normal published book editions.

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