Pieter Mortier, Idolatry of King Ahaz and Hezekiah Destroys the Idols, 1700, Engraving

Details

Description

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 16:1 to 5, the abominable idolatry of Ahaz, and 2 Kings 18:1 to 6, idolatry rooted out by Hezekiah. The upper scene illustrates 2 Kings chapter 16, where King Ahaz of Judah turned to the worship of foreign gods and made his son pass through the fire. The king kneels before a column at an idol shrine while a child is held towards the flames of a great fire, and worshippers crowd around. The lower scene shows 2 Kings chapter 18, verses 1 to 6, the reform of Hezekiah, who removed the high places, broke the images and cut down the groves. Hezekiah sits with an open book of the Law among his counsellors and soldiers while in the background men pull down statues from their pedestals. Each scene carries its own engraved caption with the scripture reference in Dutch and French, and the sheet is numbered 111 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. This sheet is signed in the lower margin by Ottmar Elliger as designer, with the engraving signed by J. de Later. 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, a diagonal crease across the lower right margin corner 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