About this sheet
This original copperplate engraving from Pieter Mortier's illustrated Bible, Amsterdam circa 1700, shows two biblical scenes on one sheet: Esther 6, the triumph of Mordecai, and Esther 7, Haman hanged on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai. The upper scene illustrates Esther chapter 6, the triumph of Mordecai, when King Ahasuerus ordered Haman to lead Mordecai through the city in royal robes on the king's horse. The procession passes through a crowded square before a temple and city towers, with Mordecai mounted in state and the onlookers pressing forward.
The lower scene shows Esther chapter 7, the downfall of Haman, who was hanged on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai. The tall gallows rises before a domed palace while in the foreground a crowd reacts and figures climb onto a high pedestal to see. Each scene carries its own engraved caption with the scripture reference in Dutch and French, and the sheet is numbered 117 in the lower margin.
Mortier's illustrated Bible stands among the landmarks of Dutch Baroque book illustration. The Amsterdam publisher brought together a team of designers and engravers, with contributing artists including Gerard Hoet, Arnold Houbraken and Bernard Picart, to produce a continuous pictorial narrative of scripture, each copper plate carrying two scenes framed like paintings hung on a wall. This sheet is signed in the lower margin by Bernard Picart as designer, with the engraving signed by J. de Later. The upper scene also carries the signature of Jan Luyken as engraver. The sheet is printed on laid paper with full margins, and the reverse is blank.
For display, the tall double composition works well in a hallway or beside a bookcase, and a pair or group of Mortier sheets makes a coherent wall of Baroque religious art. Collectors of engravings illustrating the Book of Esther will find it a well documented and attractive example.
The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning, spotting and a brown stain in the right margin and small chips at the lower edge; the image itself is clean and strong.
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.
