Satan Presiding at the Infernal Council

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Martin, Satan Presiding at the Infernal Council , ca.1827

Satan Presiding at the Infernal Council (German: "Satan sits in front of the Council of Hell") is part of a series created between 1823 and 1827 by the British artist John Martin with illustrations for a new edition of the work Paradise Lost by Milton .

History of origin

At the time, John Martin was known for paintings with religious themes and in 1823 he was commissioned by the publisher Septimus Prowett with illustrations for a new edition of the work Paradise Lost . Martin then made stitches on 24 different topics, each in two sizes.

The engraving Satan Presiding at the Infernal Council shows a debate by the satanic " Infernal Council " at the beginning of Book 2 of Paradise Lost . Satan sits in the center of the pandemonium , surrounded by fallen angels and gas lamps, a current technology at the time; he seems to be pointing to the next group of lamps. His throne sits on a black globe. An illustration for the novel Vathek by William Beckford serves as inspiration for the work .

The prints were issued as subscription works from 1825 to 1827, with two prints being published each month along with the accompanying text. The individual deliveries then had to be linked by the recipient. The stitches were also offered separately in a set or as individual prints. The book and engravings were commercial successes and were also received positively by critics. In 1825, 20 of Martin's engravings were exhibited by the Royal Society of British Artists; the critic wrote at that time "we know of no artist whose genius so perfectly fitted him to be the illustrator of the mighty Milton... There is a wildness, a grandeur and a mystery about his designs which are indescribably fine". In 1831 a larger print was published by Satan Presiding at the Infernal Council (60.7 cm × 81.4 cm).

Later effect

The iconography and design of the engravings were used as inspiration for various scenes in the films Birth of a Nation and Intolerance by DW Griffith , and for the Galactic Senate in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O695734/satan-presiding-at-the-infernal-print-martin-john/
  2. ↑ http://www.spaightwoodgalleries.com/Pages/Martin.html
  3. ↑ German: "No other artist could have illustrated the work of the great Milton better ... His works have a wildness, a size and a sublimity that is second to none.
  4. ↑ James Hamilton: Fields of Influence. A&C Black, 2001, ISBN 978-1-902-45910-3 , p. 15 ( limited preview in Google book search).