John Martin
(England 1789–1854)
- Title
- The fall of Nineveh
- Year
- 1829
- Media category
- Materials used
- mezzotint
- Dimensions
-
53.7 x 81.0cm
- Credit
- Purchased 1960
- Accession number
- DB4.1960
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
Purchased 1960
The mezzotint illustrates the fulfilment of the prophecy that the city of Nineveh should fall when the river becomes its enemy. The invading Medes are seen approaching via the river. They enter the city through the gaping hole in the fortifications. In the foreground stands the infamous king Sardanapalus, surrounded by his concubines. To the left is heaped the enormous pyre that had been constructed at the king’s orders and in which the king and all of his concubines perished.- Bibliography (1)
-
Renée Free (Australia) (Author), Rose Peel (Australia) (Author), Dreams and realities: Victorian works on paper, Domain, 1993, 1 (illus.), 10. no catalogue numbers
- Exhibition history (4)
-
Purchases and Acquisitions for 1960, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 22 Mar 1961–23 Apr 1961.
Dreams and realities: Victorian works on paper, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 07 Aug 1993–24 Oct 1993.
Queens & Sirens: archaeology in 19th century art and design, Geelong Art Gallery, 26 Sep 1998–01 Nov 1998.
Printmaking in the age of Romanticism, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 06 Aug 2009–25 Oct 2009.
