The Conflict between Satan and Death, from John Milton's Paradise Lost, Book 2, line 727
1824-1825
19th century
27.7 cm x 37.3 cm (10 7/8 in. x 14 11/16 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 drypoint
Credit Line:
Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Purchase through the generosity of the Still Water Foundation, 1996
Accession Number:
1996.261
From the gates of hell Sin leaps up to stop these two demons—Satan and Death—from annihilating each other. Satan, with his bat-like wings, stands poised to thrust his spear, while a toad-like Death emerges shrouded in black fog. Martin hints at Death’s form, burnishing out only the whites of its eyes, unable or unwilling to define it for us.