About this sheet
This original copper engraving from Pieter Mortier's illustrated Bible, published in Amsterdam circa 1700, shows two Old Testament scenes on one sheet. The subjects are 1 Samuel 14, Jonathan and his armour bearer attack the Philistines, and 1 Samuel 15, Samuel slays Agag. It is plate 78 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 1 Samuel chapter 14, in which Jonathan and his armour bearer climb the rocks at Michmash alone and fall upon the Philistine garrison, throwing the whole camp into panic.
The lower scene takes 1 Samuel chapter 15, verses 32 and 33, in which the prophet Samuel, after Saul has spared the Amalekite king against the command of God, calls for Agag and hews him in pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.
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 plate is signed O. Elgers inv. at lower left for the designer Ottmar Elliger, with 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 and an irregular marginal loss at the lower right corner, well away from the engraved image, which is clean and crisp.
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.
