Pieter Mortier, Dead Man Revived by Elisha's Bones and Zechariah Stoned, 1700, Engraving

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This original copperplate engraving from Pieter Mortier's illustrated Bible, Amsterdam circa 1700, shows two biblical scenes on one sheet: 2 … Read more This original copperplate engraving from Pieter Mortier's illustrated Bible, Amsterdam circa 1700, shows two biblical scenes on one sheet: 2 Kings 13:21, a dead man revived by touching the bones of Elisha, and 2 Chronicles 24:21, the stoning of Zechariah. The upper scene illustrates 2 Kings chapter 13, verse 21, where a band of Moabite raiders surprised a burial party, and the mourners threw the dead man into the grave of Elisha, whereupon he touched the prophet's bones, revived and stood up. The startled bearers recoil from the open tomb as the revived man rises, with a tomb monument and pyramid behind. The lower scene shows 2 Chronicles chapter 24, verse 21, the stoning of the priest Zechariah son of Jehoiada in the court of the Temple at the command of King Joash. Zechariah kneels on the pavement of a vast palatial courtyard while the crowd hurls stones at him and smoke rises from the altar. Each scene carries its own engraved caption with the scripture reference in Dutch and French, and the sheet is numbered 110 in the lower margin. Pieter Mortier's Bible, published in Amsterdam circa 1700 as the Historie des Ouden en Nieuwen Testaments, is one of the most ambitious illustrated Bibles of the Dutch Baroque. Its many scenes were engraved on copper after designs by leading artists of the day, among them Gerard Hoet, Arnold Houbraken and Bernard Picart, and set two to a sheet within engraved frames that give each plate its distinctive architectural look. The upper scene is signed by Ottmar Elliger and by the engraver Andreas Reinhard, and the lower margin carries the signature of Jan Luyken as engraver. The sheet is printed on laid paper with full margins, and the reverse is blank. A sheet like this suits a study, a library or a reading room, and it pairs naturally with other plates from the Mortier Bible for anyone building a sequence on the Books of Kings. The paired scenes and engraved frames look particularly handsome in a simple dark wood frame with a generous mount. The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning and scattered foxing in the margins, mainly upper left, and slightly frayed edges; 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. See less