A Lord Trampled at Samaria and the Death of Jezebel, Pieter Mortier, circa 1700

This original copperplate engraving from Pieter Mortier's illustrated Bible, Amsterdam circa 1700, shows two biblical scenes on one sheet: 2 Kings 7:17, the lord of Samaria trampled in the gate, and 2 Kings 9:30 to 35, Jezebel thrown down and eaten by dogs. The upper scene illustrates 2 Kings chapter 7, verse 17, the end of the siege of Samaria, when the starving people rushed out of the gate to plunder the abandoned Syrian camp and trampled to death the lord who had doubted Elisha's prophecy of plenty. Figures carrying sacks and jars stream through a great arched gateway over the fallen officer.

The lower scene shows 2 Kings chapter 9, verses 30 to 35, the death of Queen Jezebel, thrown from a palace window at the command of Jehu and afterwards eaten by dogs. Jehu drives his chariot and team of horses through the palace courtyard as Jezebel falls from above. Each scene carries its own engraved caption with the scripture reference in Dutch and French, and the sheet is numbered 108 in the lower margin.

Pieter Mortier, the Amsterdam publisher and bookseller, issued his illustrated Bible circa 1700 as a showpiece of Dutch Baroque printmaking. Its contributing artists included Gerard Hoet, Arnold Houbraken and Bernard Picart, and the plates present the biblical narrative as a sequence of theatrical scenes, crowded with figures and set among classical architecture and wide landscapes. This sheet is signed in the lower margin by Ottmar Elliger as designer, with the engraving signed by J. Baptist. The sheet is printed on laid paper with full margins, and the reverse is blank.

The sheet would suit a library, a study or a quiet corner of a living room, where its fine line work rewards close viewing. Hung in a group with other Mortier plates, it becomes part of a continuous illustrated narrative of the Books of Kings.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning, frayed edges with small chips at the lower right and a soft corner crease, all in the margins; the image itself is clean.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.