| Method | Etching |
| Artist | Pieter van der Borcht |
| Published | c. 1580 |
| Dimensions | Image 215 x 92 mm, Sheet 218 x 94 mm |
| Notes |
From the Evangeliorum Domincalium Summaria. Pieter van der Borcht (1535 - 1608) was a Flemish draughtsman and etcher. He was born in Mechelen, but spent the majority of his career in Antwerp where he worked for the publisher Christopher Plantin. He was Plantin's prime illustrator and his commissions were numerous. Van der Borcht's earlier works include the the Emblemata of Sambucus, as well as woodcuts for a herbarium by Rembert Dodoens, titled the Frumentorum, leguminum, palustrium et aquatilium herbarum historia. His later etchings were mostly of Biblical subjects. These included the Evangeliorum Domincalium Summaria, published in 1580, and the Biblia Sacra, in 1583. Van der Borcht's print elucidates a scene from the Book of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar erects a statue on the plains of Dura. A proclamation stated that whenever music is played, as signalled by the trumpeters and lute players, the people should fall down and worship it. Anybody that refused would be thrown into a burning furnace. Word reached Nebuchadnezzar that three men by the names of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow. When the King threatened them with death, the men replied that the God they worshipped would save them from the flames. Nebuchadnezzar was enraged and ordered his soldiers to throw these men in the furnace. Inside the furnace, as shown in Luyken's print, the three men walk about freely and without pain. They are joined by a fourth, the son of god. Nebuchadnezzar then ordered them out of the furnace to find that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men. The King praised the men for their bravery and proclaimed that any God who could deliver men from certain death is the only one deserving worship. Condition: Tipped to album page. Trimmed within plate. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £85.00 |
| Stock ID | 28068 |