Jan Luyken’s etching, “The Plague of Fiery Hail over Egypt”, 1708

Jan Luyken (aka Jan Luiken) (1649–1712)

“The Plague of Fiery Hail over Egypt” (aka “Plaag van hagel en onweer” [transl. “Plague of hail and thunder” (Rijksmuseum title)]; “De Plaag van Hagel en Vuur over Egipte” [title on plate]), 1708, published by Pieter Mortier I (1661–1711) as an illustration to “Icones Biblicae Veteris et Novi Testamenti”, in Amsterdam.

Etching on laid paper trimmed with small margins around the image borderline and the lettered publication details, and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 33.8 x 42.5 cm; (image borderline) 32.5 x 41.8 cm

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “P. Mortier. edit. cum Privileg.”; (centre) “De Plaag van Hagel en Vuur over Egipte. Exod. IX.” Note that the lettered reference, “Pag. 54.”, has been lost with restoration of the lower-right corner.

Lifetime impression.

Van Eeghen 3242/3705 (P van Eeghen 1905, “Het werk van Jan en Casper Luyken”, Amsterdam, Frederik Muller & Co., vol. 2, pp. 586 & 661, cat. nos. 3242 & 3705). Note that this publication is available for online viewing or free download at archive.org:

(Van Eeghen 3242) https://archive.org/details/hetwerkvanjanen01kellgoog/page/n205;

(Van Eeghen 3705) https://archive.org/details/hetwerkvanjanen01kellgoog/page/n283

The Rijksmuseum offers the following description of this print:

(Google transl.) “View of a landscape where the storms, lightning and where people and animals are struck by huge hailstones. In the background the contours of a city. The print is a depiction of the seventh plague that God made over Egypt.”

http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.337007

Condition: near faultless, well-printed impression, trimmed with small margins and laid on a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. There is a replenished loss at the lower right corner, otherwise the sheet is in an excellent/near pristine condition.

I am selling this superb lifetime impression, for AU$193 (currently US$137.90/EUR122.07/GBP106.92 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this finely executed, large and graphically arresting scene featuring fiery hailstones—larger than cannonballs!—falling on distressed Egyptian folk and their animals (viz. horses, camels, oxen, sheep and at least one pig), please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold