Featured A Catholic Bible (1714) in a Protestant disguise.

In February 2025, I acquired a beautifully illustrated Bible. Since it was printed in Antwerp, it fits perfectly within my collection of Antwerp imprints. What immediately caught my attention was its extensive illustration cycle, which led me to further investigate its origins, artists, and potential earlier editions.

This 1714 Biblia Sacra is a reprint of the so-called Moerentorf Bible, a Catholic Bible that served as the standard for Roman Catholics in the Southern Netherlands and Flanders for centuries. Normally, editions of the Jouret Bible, to which this edition belongs, include only a frontispiece and no additional engravings. However, this particular copy is exceptional because it contains numerous engravings—mainly used in Protestant Bibles—raising questions about their origin and whether they were added later.


The Bible includes numerous engravings and maps by well-known artists, including:

• Matthias Scheits (about 150 copper engravings)

Descriptions in English, French and Dutch.

• Jacob Folkema (11 copper engravings) after famous works

Descriptions in French

• Gaspar Huberti (3 copper engravings) after famous works (Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Eyck)

Descriptions in Latin

These engravings illustrate both the Old and New Testaments and stylistically resemble Protestant Bible illustrations from the Dutch Republic. This makes this edition particularly fascinating as it showcases how different religious traditions influenced book illustration.

The book contains a set of standard maps commonly included in Bibles from the late 16th century onwards:

1. World Map (Totius Orbis Terrarum) – placed before Genesis, referencing the Creation.
   
   
2. Paradise and Canaan Map (Descriptio paradisi et Terrae Canaan) – placed at the end of Genesis 2.
   
   
3. Plan of Jerusalem (Vera Hierosolymae Veteris Imago) – found at the beginning of Nehemiah.
   
   
4. Holy Land at the Time of Jesus (Terra Sanctae) – positioned before the Gospel of Matthew.

The illustrations share similarities with other 17th and early 18th-century works, including:

• The Sternsche Bible (1672)
• Other books featuring engravings from Matthias Scheits and François Halma
• Bibles using similar folding maps, such as those by Moxon, Bonfrerio, and Sanson

This edition of the Biblia Sacra (1714) provides an intriguing insight into early 18th-century Bible production, particularly the interplay between Catholic and Protestant illustration traditions. The mix of engravings suggests either a unique printing decision or a later customization by an early owner. Further research into comparable works will help clarify its place within the broader history of biblical printing.

If anyone has seen similar editions or has additional information, I would love to hear your insights!

Mattias Scheits engravings with their original designs



Huberti engravings with their inspiration

 

Stunning, EL, a great find.

 

wonderful find !!!!!!!

 

In my previous post, I introduced the early 18th-century Bible in my collection, which contains several fascinating engravings. One of the most intriguing illustrations is a Crucifixion scene, engraved by Cornelis van Queborn after a design by Hendrick van Balen. This engraving, however, is more than just a beautiful devotional image—it provides a unique glimpse into the history of early modern printmaking.



Upon closer inspection, I discovered that my engraving is a later edition of an earlier print. The original engraving was published in 1617, as indicated on the first version. However, my copy bears the date 1697 and includes the name of the publisher I. de Ram, who was active in Antwerp in the late 17th century.

To illustrate the differences, I have compared both versions side by side (see image below). The changes are subtle but significant:

• The date has been altered from 1617 to 1697.
• The publisher's name has been added in the later edition, replacing the original "excudit" (published by) credit of Van Queborn.

This suggests that the original copper plate from 1617 was reused and modified for a later edition. Such practices were common in early modern printmaking—engraved plates were expensive, and publishers often acquired and reworked them to meet continued demand. The fact that this Crucifixion scene was reissued 80 years later indicates its enduring devotional value.

 

Great detective work.

 

That is why collecting books is so fascinating!

 

Have you checked the back of the title page for plate marks? Sometimes larger illustrations, involving multiple vignettes, can be aggregate assemblages of multiple plates.

A long time ago, someone on these boards discussed a technique where multiple plates were blocked together and a casting made of the combined surface. By using such casts, large volumes of prints could be produced with no wear to the original plates. There was a word for it that I cannot remember ( as I recall, a word still used today for something of no value, and it's been driving me crazy that I can't remember it.)

 

I haven’t had the time to look for platemarks yet. Maybe this evening.

 

Can ya show the cover?

 

Sure, but it is rather boring and over restored imho.

 

The illustrations are stunning and inspirational.

 

THE watermark looks like an Augsburg lily. My understanding is that it denotes a specific paper size (as does a fool's cap mark) There are hundreds of Augsburg lily marks. The devil is in the details, which identify the specific maker. I'm not seeing multiple plate marks, but my eyes are not what they were.

 

I know the Antwerp printers used a lot of French paper (Troyes was an important center for paper making). It is always difficult to identify watermarks.

 

I think it's great that you have such a book. Each illustration is probably fife with details that would teach an entire biblical lesson.

 

This watermark looks similar, but does not match the age (1587).

 

Because the Augsburg Lily denoted a paper size as much as a maker, it is my understanding that it was in fairly common use across Europe over a long period of time. You'll have papers from different countries that have variations on the mark.



This looks familiar. I think there was something like this on a painting thread.

 

Those are medieval merchant’s marks, for illiterate people mostly. I still see them sometimes in older books in my collection.

 

I think you mean Stereotype printing, but that was, to my knowledge only used for fonts or woodcut illustrations. Copper plates cant be copied with this method. Copper Engravings are less durable than woodblocks. Editions are usually smaller and more expensive than books illustrated with woodcuts because the intaglio illustrations have to be printed separately after the text. Woodcuts are the same printing technique and are printed with the text.

Large print runs with intaglio prints where possible after the invention of steel engravings or the steel coating of copper plates.