About this sheet
This original copper engraving from Pieter Mortier's illustrated Bible, published in Amsterdam circa 1700, combines a biblical scene and a gallery of prophets on one sheet. The subjects are Daniel 12, Daniel's fourth vision, and the first six minor prophets, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah. It is plate 126 of the series, a fine example of Dutch Baroque biblical engraving with the upper and lower compositions each set in its own engraved frame.
The upper scene illustrates Daniel chapter 12, verse 5, Daniel's fourth and last vision, in which he sees two figures standing on either bank of the river and hears the man clothed in linen swear that the end of these wonders shall be for a time, times and a half.
The lower half is a gallery of six small portraits of the first minor prophets, labelled in French Osee, Joel, Amos, Abdias, Jonas and Michee, that is Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah, each shown with an episode or setting from his book.
Pieter Mortier (1661 to 1711) was one of the leading publishers of Amsterdam, and his great illustrated Bible of 1700, the Historie des Ouden en Nieuwen Testaments, was among the most ambitious picture Bibles of the Dutch Golden Age, with more than four hundred scenes engraved on copper. The sheets were laid out as here, two scenes one above the other within engraved frames, each with its own cartouche giving the scripture reference and a caption in Dutch and French. The upper image is signed Goeree inv. and J. Baptist fecit, and the lower B. Picart inv. and Sluyter fecit, for the designers Jan Goeree and Bernard Picart; the sheet carries the imprint P. Mortier edit. cum Privil. Mortier drew on the best draughtsmen and engravers working in Amsterdam, among them Gerard Hoet, Arnold Houbraken, Jan Luyken and Bernard Picart, and the result is a monument of Dutch Baroque book illustration.
The sheet is printed on laid paper with full margins and a blank verso, and it is uncoloured, as issued. A Mortier Bible engraving of this quality suits a study, library or hallway, and it hangs particularly well with other sheets from the same Bible, where the framed double compositions build into a striking group. It would also make a thoughtful gift for anyone with an interest in the Old Testament, Dutch art or the history of the printed Bible.
The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning, some light soiling and small chips at the upper right edge, all confined to the margins; the image is clean.
This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.
