John Martin The Prophet in the Wilderness

An original 1826 mezzotint print, John Martin, The Prophet in the Wilderness.

'The Prophet in the Wilderness' mezzotint by John Martin (1789–1854). Plate on page 235 of 'The Amulet; or Christian and Literary Remembrancer', London, 1826.

The image shows Elijah visited by the angel, having fled from the wrath of Jezebel, taking shelter and rest under a juniper tree.

John Martin (1789–1854) is best-known as a painter of religious subjects and fantastic compositions. He achieved huge popular acclaim with his historical landscape paintings which featured melodramatic scenes of apocalyptic events taken from the Bible and other mythological sources. In addition to being a painter, John Martin was a mezzotint engraver. For significant periods of his life, he earned more from his engravings than his paintings. Martin was a key influence on Thomas Cole (1801–1848), one of the founding members of the Hudson River School. Others inspired by his compositions included Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Brontës—a print of 'Belshazzar's Feast' hung on the parlour wall of the Brontë parsonage in Haworth.

On cream laid paper.

Image size: 10.2 x 6.9cm. Sheet size: 15.5 x 10cm.

Please note the small size of this artwork.