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This image is for study only, and may not accurately represent the object’s true color or scale…
Creation of Light, from John Milton's Paradise Lost, Book 7, line 339
This image is for study only, and may not accurately represent the object’s true color or scale…
This image is for study only, and may not accurately represent the object’s true color or scale. It should not be shared or reproduced without permission by the copyright holder.

Creation of Light, from John Milton's Paradise Lost, Book 7, line 339

Primary (Haydon Bridge, Northumberland, England, 1789–Douglas, Isle of Man, 1854)
NationalityEnglish, Europe
Date1824
MediumMezzotint
DimensionsSheet: 10 7/8 × 14 3/4 in. (27.6 × 37.4 cm)
Additional Dimension: 10 × 13 7/8 in. (25.4 × 35.3 cm)
Credit LineBlanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Purchase through the generosity of the Still Water Foundation, 1996.271
Collection AreaPrints and Drawings
Object number1996.271
On View
Not on view
Label Text
Martin was one of the first artists to apply the mezzotint technique to steel. A rocker, a tool with a curved serrated blade, is used to roughen the entire surface of a copper plate, creating burrs, or tiny hooks of metal, that hold ink for printing. Flattening out the burrs with a burnisher, a small spoon-like tool, creates smooth areas that print white. This process lends itself perfectly to the subject: the sun, moon, stars, lightning, billowing clouds, and figure of God are made visible by eliminating black.
Exhibitions