The Fall of the Rebel Angels, from John Milton's Paradise Lost, Book 1, line 44
1824-1825
19th century
35.3 cm x 25.3 cm (13 7/8 in. x 9 15/16 in.)
John Martin
(Haydon Bridge (Northumberland), England, 1789 - 1854, Douglas (Isle of Man))
Primary
Object Type:
print
Artist Nationality:
Europe, English
Medium and Support:
Mezzotint and etching with rocker
Credit Line:
Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Purchase through the generosity of the Still Water Foundation, 1996
Accession Number:
1996.256
After the great battle of angels, God hurls Satan and his followers into the depths of hell—bottomless, black, and terrifying. In the text Milton tells how the angels will endure “adamantine chains and penal fire,” but here we see an abyss made of shadow—a hell we can invent for ourselves.