"Joshua Spyning Out the Land of Canaan"

John Martin (1789-1854) was an English Romantic painter celebrated for his typically vast and melodramatic paintings of religious subjects and fantastic compositions, populated with minute figures placed in imposing landscapes. During his lifetime he was described as "the most popular painter of his day.” From the 1840’s Martin made annual visits to the Isle of Man to stay with his brother-in-law and latterly lived here. It is said that a number of his imaginary landscapes were inspired by the rugged beauty of the Isle of Man. John Martin died in Douglas on 17 February 1854 and is buried at Kirk Braddan.