Susanna and the Elders and Susanna Delivered by Daniel, Mortier, circa 1700

This original copperplate engraving from Pieter Mortier's illustrated Bible, Amsterdam circa 1700, shows two biblical scenes on one sheet: Daniel 13:1 to 27 (Apocrypha), Susanna tempted by the two elders, and Daniel 13 (Apocrypha), Susanna delivered by Daniel. The upper scene illustrates the story of Susanna, given here as Daniel chapter 13, verses 1 to 27, following the numbering of the Latin Bible, in which two elders surprise the virtuous Susanna bathing in her garden and threaten her. Susanna sits by the bath beneath the trees as the two old men press close.

The lower scene shows the deliverance of Susanna by the young Daniel, who exposes the elders' false witness by questioning them separately. Susanna embraces her family while Daniel stands on the steps and the crowd turns upon the elders. Each scene carries its own engraved caption with the scripture reference in Dutch and French, and the sheet is numbered 132 in the lower margin.

Pieter Mortier's Bible, published in Amsterdam circa 1700 as the Historie des Ouden en Nieuwen Testaments, is one of the most ambitious illustrated Bibles of the Dutch Baroque. Its many scenes were engraved on copper after designs by leading artists of the day, among them Gerard Hoet, Arnold Houbraken and Bernard Picart, and set two to a sheet within engraved frames that give each plate its distinctive architectural look. This sheet is signed in the lower margin by Ottmar Elliger as designer, with the engraving signed by J. Mulder. The sheet is printed on laid paper with full margins, and the reverse is blank.

A sheet like this suits a study, a library or a reading room, and it pairs naturally with other plates from the Mortier Bible for anyone building a sequence on the story of Susanna. The paired scenes and engraved frames look particularly handsome in a simple dark wood frame with a generous mount.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning, a faint tide line and faint staining in the margins and minor chipping to the right edge; the image is clean.

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