Fire from Heaven and Elijah's Chariot of Fire, 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 1:9, the captain and his fifty consumed by fire from heaven, and 2 Kings 2, the chariot of fire and the taking up of Elijah. The upper scene illustrates 2 Kings chapter 1, where King Ahaziah sends a captain with fifty soldiers to seize Elijah, and fire comes down from heaven and consumes them. The prophet sits on a rocky height with arm outstretched while rays of fire strike the soldiers below.

The lower scene shows 2 Kings chapter 2, the taking up of Elijah, when a chariot of fire and horses of fire parted him from Elisha and he went up by a whirlwind into heaven. The fiery horses and chariot burst from the clouds as Elisha falls back in awe, one of the most celebrated images of the Old Testament. Each scene carries its own engraved caption with the scripture reference in Dutch and French, and the sheet is numbered 105 in the lower margin.

The engraving comes from the Bible published by Pieter Mortier in Amsterdam circa 1700, a work in which Dutch Baroque book illustration reached a grand scale. Designs by artists such as Gerard Hoet, Arnold Houbraken and Bernard Picart were cut in copper by a team of Amsterdam engravers, and the paired scenes were printed on large sheets of laid paper. This sheet is signed in the lower margin by Ottmar Elliger as designer, with the engraving signed by Andreas Reinhard. The sheet is printed on laid paper with full margins, and the reverse is blank.

Framed with a wide mount, the sheet makes a strong statement in a study, a parish office or a library, and it hangs well alongside other Dutch biblical engravings of the period. It is also an accessible entry point for collectors interested in the Books of Kings.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning, faint marginal soiling 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.