High Priest and Levites and God Speaks in the Holy of Holies, Mortier circa 1700

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 Exodus 40, the High Priest and Levites in their vestments, and the Lord speaks to Moses in the Holy of Holies. It is plate 50 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 Exodus chapter 40, verses 13 and 14, where Aaron and his sons are to be clothed in the holy garments and anointed for the priesthood. The Dutch caption reads Afbeeldinge des Hooge Priesters ende andere Leviten, the figures of the High Priest and other Levites. It is set as two framed panels between Corinthian pilasters: on the left the High Priest in turban and jewelled breastplate stands beside a sacrificial bull, and on the right a priest holding a dish walks with a young Levite carrying a censer.

The lower scene takes Exodus chapter 40, verses 17 to 21, the setting up of the Tabernacle and the bringing of the Ark into the Most Holy Place. Its caption, De Gods spraak in 't Heilige der Heiligen, tells how the Lord speaks in the Holy of Holies. Heavy curtains are drawn back between square columns to reveal the Ark with its cherubim, bathed in light breaking from a cloud, while Moses bows before it.

Pieter Mortier (1661 to 1711) was one of the leading publishers of Amsterdam, and his great illustrated Bible of 1700, the Historie des Ouden en Nieuwen Testaments, was among the most ambitious picture Bibles of the Dutch Golden Age, with more than four hundred scenes engraved on copper. The sheets were laid out as here, two scenes one above the other within engraved frames, each with its own cartouche giving the scripture reference and a caption in Dutch and French. The plate is signed Goeree Inv. at lower left, the mark of the Amsterdam draughtsman Jan Goeree, and carries the imprint P. Mortier edit. Avec Privilege; the engraver's signature at lower right is too faint to read with confidence. Mortier drew on the best draughtsmen and engravers working in Amsterdam, among them Gerard Hoet, Arnold Houbraken, Jan Luyken and Bernard Picart, and the result is a monument of Dutch Baroque book illustration.

The sheet is printed on laid paper with full margins and a blank verso, and it is uncolored, as issued. A Mortier Bible engraving of this quality suits a study, library or hallway, and it hangs particularly well with other sheets from the same Bible, where the framed double compositions build into a striking group. It would also make a thoughtful gift for anyone with an interest in the Old Testament, Dutch art or the history of the printed Bible.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning, softly frayed edges and a few small marginal spots; the engraved image is clean and crisp.