Prophecy at Bethel and the Prophet Slain by a Lion, Pieter Mortier, circa 1700

This original copperplate engraving from Pieter Mortier's illustrated Bible, Amsterdam circa 1700, shows two biblical scenes on one sheet: 1 Kings 13:1 to 6, the prophecy against the altar at Bethel, and 1 Kings 13, the prophet killed by a lion. The upper scene illustrates 1 Kings chapter 13, verses 1 to 6, where a man of God from Judah cries out against the altar that Jeroboam had set up at Bethel, and the king's hand, stretched out to seize him, withers. The prophet points at the smoking altar while Jeroboam recoils among his courtiers.

The lower scene shows the sequel in the same chapter, when the prophet, having disobeyed the command not to eat or drink in that place, is killed on the road by a lion. The body lies by the roadside with the lion standing over it and the ass waiting unharmed, just as the text describes. Each scene carries its own engraved caption with the scripture reference in Dutch and French, and the sheet is numbered 100 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 Mulder. 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 Books of Kings will find it a well documented and attractive example.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning, a diagonal crease across the lower left margin and a few small spots; the image itself is clean and strong.

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