Death of Absalom and the Head of Sheba over the Wall, 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 Samuel 18:9, the death of Absalom, and 2 Samuel 20:15, the head of the rebel Sheba thrown over the wall. The upper scene illustrates 2 Samuel chapter 18, verse 9, the death of Absalom, David's rebel son, whose head caught fast in an oak as his mule ran from under him, leaving him hanging until Joab thrust darts through his heart. Absalom hangs from the tree while soldiers close in with raised weapons.

The lower scene shows 2 Samuel chapter 20, where Joab besieges the rebel Sheba in the city of Abel and a wise woman persuades the citizens to throw Sheba's head over the wall. Soldiers mass beneath the fortifications, a tent stands in the foreground and a line of spearmen watches from the right. Each scene carries its own engraved caption with the scripture reference in Dutch and French, and the sheet is numbered 91 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 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.

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 story of Saul and David will find it a well documented and attractive example.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning, a small spot in the right margin and small chips at the lower right corner; the image itself is clean and strong.

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