Pieter Mortier, Leah and the Mandrakes and Jacob Flees from Laban, 1700, Engraving

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This original copper engraving from Pieter Mortier's illustrated Bible, published in Amsterdam circa 1700, shows two Old Testament scenes on … Read more 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 Genesis 30, Leah speaks to Jacob about the mandrakes, and Genesis 31, Jacob flees from Laban. It is plate 25 (partly legible) 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 Genesis chapter 30, verses 14 to 16, captioned Lea spreeckt tot Jacob van de Dudaim, Leah speaks to Jacob about the mandrakes. Reuben has found mandrakes in the field, and Leah bargains with Rachel for them before going out to meet Jacob. The encounter is set in an open pastoral landscape with tents, a banana plant, swans on a pond and children playing. The lower scene takes Genesis chapter 31, verses 17 to 21, captioned Jacob vlucht wech van Laban, Jacob flees from Laban. Jacob's household loads camels and asses with vessels and belongings, and the women mount for the journey while the long caravan winds away towards the hills of Gilead. Pieter Mortier's Bible, issued in Amsterdam circa 1700, is one of the finest illustrated Bibles of the Baroque period. Its plates, with more than four hundred scenes, follow the sacred narrative from Genesis onwards, two scenes to a sheet, each captioned in Dutch and French beneath the chapter and verse. The signatures and plate number in the lower margin are very faint on this impression; the imprint of Pieter Mortier with privilege can be made out at the foot. Leading Dutch artists such as Gerard Hoet, Arnold Houbraken and Bernard Picart supplied designs, and the plates were worked with a dense, velvety burin that gives the scenes their dramatic light and depth, the qualities that make Mortier sheets so sought after today. The engraving is printed on laid paper with full margins and a blank verso, and is uncoloured, as issued. It rewards close viewing and is well suited to a study, library or quiet corner, either alone or hung as part of a series of Mortier Bible engravings, which together give a vivid sense of how the Dutch Baroque imagined the biblical world. The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning, faint damp staining in the lower right margin and softly frayed edges; the engraved image 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. See less