John Martin (English, 1789-1854)

Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still

1827

large-format mezzotint

56,5 x 78,5 cm (sheet 62 x 84 cm)

The Daulton Collection  

Condition: Very slight yellowing, two light stains in the lower margin. Old backing on the verso, removable. Otherwise in very good condition.

Typographical text at bottom: "Painted and engraved by John Martin (...) London. Published May 9, 1827, by Mr. Martin, 30, Allsops Buildings, New Road."

Discussion:

Based upon Martin's 1816 painting of the same name and his ink and wash drawing of circa 1822.

"In this epic and densely populated work, John Martin describes the biblical Battle of Gibeon, part of the conquest of Canaan. Joshua, as leader of the Israelites, asks God to cause the moon and sun to stand still so that he and his army can continue fighting in the daylight. God further assists Joshua by calling down a mighty storm to bombard the Canaanites with rain and hail. Following this battle, Joshua led the Israelites to many further victories, eventually conquering much of Canaan. Martin combines the genres of history and landscape painting in this work, giving equal compositional space and artistic attention to both the human narrative and the dramatic surrounding nature. The artist had intended to engrave it since 1817 and commissioned the work from the professional mezzotint engraver Charles Turner. However, he found it unsatisfactory and restarted the engraving on a soft steel plate. Martin's son, Leopold, said that 'within four months my father completed what was one of his most successful engravings.' After this engraving was published in May 1827, critics ecstatically hailed it as a 'splendid production of genius,' a 'superb print... full of grandeur, sublimity, and poetry, a credit to the artist and a source of pride to his nation.' "  Gon.