John Martin

The Alan Gallery, New York
Private Collection (sale: Sotheby's, London, 30^th November 2000, lot 236)
Purchased at the above sale by the late owner

ENGRAVED:

by W.R. Smith for Robert Southey's edition of The Pilgrim's Progress, 1830

 

Paris, Musée Jacquemart-André, La Passion du dessin. Collection Jan et Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 2002, no. 88 
Munich, Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Das Ewige Auge - Von Rembrandt bis Picasso. Meisterwerke der Sammlung Jan Krugier und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, 2007, no. 76, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Frankfurt, Stadel Museum, Schwarze Romantik. Von Goya bis Max Ernst, 2012-13, no. 36

This work is in lovely condition. The medium is bold and dense. The sheet has a slight undulation - but this does not affect the enjoyment of this powerful work. The left hand edge of the sheet has been cut down by a fraction; as a result, a very small amount of the signature has been lost. The sheet has not been laid down.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present watercolour illustrates a passage from John Bunyan’s The Pilgrims Progress, the epic tale that describes Christian’s adventures on his journey from the City of Destruction to the Gates of Heaven. First published in 1678, the book became the most widely read religious allegory in England.

Here, Martin shows Christian alone in the flooded caverns of the valley of the shadow of death. Bunyan describes the place as ‘very solitary... a wilderness, a land of deserts and of pits, a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, a land that no man (but a Christian) passed through and where no man dwelt.’

This is one of two images by John Martin which was engraved for Robert Southey’s 1830 edition of the story. The second shows Christian, accompanied by Hopeful, within reach of Heaven and gazing at the walls of the Celestial City.