Historie Des Ouden En Nieuwen Testaments, Verrykt Met Meer Dan Vierhonderd Printverbeeldingen In Koper Gesneden. Met Privilegie Van De Heeren Staaten Van Holland En Westfriesland. Translated: History Of The Old And New Testaments, Enriched With More Than Four Hundred Printed Illustrations Engraved In Copper. With Privilege Of The Lords States Of Holland And West Friesland.

Historie Des Ouden En Nieuwen Testaments, Verrykt Met Meer Dan Vierhonderd Printverbeeldingen In Koper Gesneden. Met Privilegie Van De Heeren Staaten Van Holland En Westfriesland. Translated: History Of The Old And New Testaments, Enriched With More Than Four Hundred Printed Illustrations Engraved In Copper. With Privilege Of The Lords States Of Holland And West Friesland.

This is the celebrated “Great Bible of Mortier”, first issued in Amsterdam in 1700. Rather than a conventional text Bible, it is a richly illustrated biblical history of the Old and New Testaments, with explanatory text accompanying hundreds of engraved scenes. Contemporary bibliographic sources describe the Dutch edition as two folio parts, with 214 engraved plates carrying 428 biblical scenes, plus five large maps, engraved frontispieces, and additional vignettes. The illustrations were based on designs by artists including Jan Goeree, Bernard Picart, Gerard Hoet, Otto Elliger, and others, and the New Testament includes additional engraved vignettes associated with Jan Luyken. The work became known specifically as the Grote Bijbel van Mortier, or Great Bible of Mortier.

1700. Amsterdam: Pierre Mortier. Folio.(11" x 17.5") Two volumes bound as one. OT (292) and NT (175) pp. Rebound in full tan mottled calf with wide fancy gilt rule framing boards. Spine with six gilt decorated raised bands, Gilt lettering to gilt rule bordered red leather in second compartment, gilt lettering to the third compartment, and gilt year "1700" at foot. All other compartments with gilt rule frames with fancy gilt corners framing a single gilt decorative device centered to each compartment. All edges deckled, marbled endpapers. Sun fading towards the head of both covers and spine. Dampstain to top margin from half-title through the next 11 leaves. Another from pages 253 through 290, the final pages of the Old Testament, getting progressively getting deeper into pages affecting text and six plates. Not much foxing to speak of throughout text, but heavier toning to plates from Old Testament, with visible foxing mostly to rear of plates 26, 28, 29, and 30. The New Testament plates considerably brighter, less affected. Both gutters split, covers still firmly attached however. Illustrated with 214 full page plates with 2 scenes each for 428 images depicting Biblical events, 5 large folding maps to rear, 2 engraved fontispieces and a dozen or so of small engraved vignettes to footers of New testament books and title pages.