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This image is for study only, and may not accurately represent the object’s true color or scale…
Satan contemplating Adam and Eve in Paradise, from John Milton's Paradise Lost, Book 4, line 502
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.

Satan contemplating Adam and Eve in Paradise, from John Milton's Paradise Lost, Book 4, line 502

Primary (Haydon Bridge, Northumberland, England, 1789–Douglas, Isle of Man, 1854)
NationalityEnglish, Europe
Date1824-1825
MediumMezzotint, etching, and drypoint with rocker
DimensionsSheet: 10 7/8 × 14 3/4 in. (27.7 × 37.4 cm)
Additional Dimension: 10 1/16 × 13 15/16 in. (25.6 × 35.4 cm)
Credit LineBlanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Purchase through the generosity of the Still Water Foundation, 1996.265
Collection AreaPrints and Drawings
Object number1996.265
On View
Not on view
Label Text
Lively etched lines add texture and definition to the tree that Satan hides behind. Most of the prints in this gallery show multiple engraving techniques, namely: mezzotint, etching, and roulette. The dotted patterns across this wooded landscape are created with a roulette, a tiny spiked wheel that can be rolled across the surface of the plate. These marks, along with the etched lines, intensify and darken parts of the image. Satan appears jealous, angry, and vengeful as he spies Adam and Eve in a blissful embrace. Martin underscores their separate worlds by leaving the space that lies between Satan and the couple undefined.
Exhibitions