Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah's Scroll and Ezekiel's Vision, Mortier, circa 1700

This original copperplate engraving from Pieter Mortier's illustrated Bible, Amsterdam circa 1700, shows two biblical scenes on one sheet: Jeremiah 36:21 to 23, King Jehoiakim burns the scroll written by Baruch, and Ezekiel 1:5, Ezekiel's vision of the chariot drawn by four living creatures. The upper scene illustrates Jeremiah chapter 36, verses 21 to 23, where King Jehoiakim, sitting by the fire in his winter house, has the scroll of Jeremiah's prophecies read to him and cuts it piece by piece and throws it into the brazier. The king sits enthroned among his courtiers while the pages of the scroll burn at his feet.

The lower scene shows the opening vision of the Book of Ezekiel, chapter 1, where the prophet by the river Chebar sees a chariot of wheels within wheels, drawn by four living creatures and surrounded by fire and cloud. Ezekiel stands on the shore with arms raised as the blazing vision breaks through a stormy sky. Each scene carries its own engraved caption with the scripture reference in Dutch and French, and the sheet is numbered 120 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 Bernard Picart as designer, with the engraving signed by probably Cornelis Huyberts. 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 Old Testament prophets.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning, a tide line in the upper left margin and a small spot lower right; the image itself is clean and strong.

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