Nebuchadnezzar Among the Beasts and Belshazzar's Feast, Mortier, circa 1700

This original copperplate engraving from Pieter Mortier's illustrated Bible, Amsterdam circa 1700, shows two biblical scenes on one sheet: Daniel 4:33, Nebuchadnezzar driven out among the beasts, and Daniel 5, the feast of Belshazzar. The upper scene illustrates Daniel chapter 4, verse 33, the humbling of King Nebuchadnezzar, who was driven from men and ate grass like oxen until he acknowledged the Most High. The king crawls on all fours in a farmyard beside a stone building, among grazing animals.

The lower scene shows Daniel chapter 5, the feast of Belshazzar, when the king feasted with his lords from the sacred vessels taken from the Temple and a hand appeared writing on the wall. The banqueting hall glitters with candelabra, vessels and a long table crowded with guests. Each scene carries its own engraved caption with the scripture reference in Dutch and French, and the sheet is numbered 123 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 Ottmar Elliger as designer, with the engraving signed by J. Baptist. 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 Book of Daniel.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning, a small rust spot in the lower right margin and slight edge wear; the image itself is clean and strong.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.