Arnold Hoogvliet - Abraham, de Aartsvader - 1762-1762

ARNOLD HOOGVLIET – ABRAHAM, THE PATRIARCH, IN XII BOOKS – SEVENTH EDITION, 1762

Richly illustrated eighteenth-century Dutch edition – 12 plates by Jan Punt – portrait engraving of Hoogvliet by J. Houbraken after Dionys van Nijmegen – original leather binding

Hoogvliet, Arnold (1687–1763).
Abraham, the Patriarch, in XII Books, by Arnold Hoogvliet. The Seventh Edition. With Privilege of His/Her Excellency the Great Monarchs of the States of Holland and West Frisia.

In Rotterdam, By Jan Daniel Beman and Son, MDCCLXII [1762].

4to, [54] preliminary pages, 288 pp., with engraved frontispiece, engraved title vignette, coat-of-arms engraving, portrait of the author and 12 full-page copperplates, preceding the twelve books.

Exceptionally handsome and richly illustrated copy

A very attractive eighteenth-century edition of Arnold Hoogvliet’s famous Biblical epic Abraham, the Patriarch, first published in 1728 and repeatedly reprinted throughout the eighteenth century.
Hoogvliet’s work belongs to the most important Dutch epic poems of the eighteenth century. The extensive poem treats the life of the patriarch Abraham as told in the Old Testament, expanded over twelve books and written in lofty, classical verse form. The first edition appeared with Jan Daniel Beman in Rotterdam; from the fourth edition the work was issued in substantially more luxurious form and accompanied by a sequence of twelve specially produced illustrations by the renowned Amsterdam artist and engraver Jan Punt.
The present seventh edition of 1762 is entirely in the tradition of these beautifully illustrated editions. Bibliographic literature notes that the seventh edition, apart from the changed publisher address to “By Jan Daniel Beman en Zoon,” closely follows the preceding illustrated editions.
An especially attractive feature of this copy is that the portrait engraving of Arnold Hoogvliet as an outstretched/fold-out plate is present. This gives the book an additional museum-like and graphic appeal. The fold lines of this plate have in the past been reinforced locally with old paper; this is visible as a restoration trace, but the plate itself is preserved.

The illustrations – a complete set of twelve copper engravings

The twelve large illustrations were designed and engraved by Jan Punt (1711–1779). They are etching and copper engraving, a combination Punt used to convincingly depict both painterly scenes and landscapes as well as the fine contours and details of the figures. The Rijksmuseum also catalogues the plates as “etching and engraving.” The designs date from 1743–1745, thus well before the present seventh edition of 1762; the original plates were reused in the later Beman editions.

1. First Book – Sarah deceived by Pharaoh’s ministers – 1743
The first plate shows the moment when Sarah is taken by the officials of Pharaoh after Abraham and Sarah arrive in Egypt. Sarah’s beauty attracts the Egyptians and the Pharaoh has her brought to his palace. The print was designed and engraved by Jan Punt in 1743. It is a copper engraving combined with etching. The Rijksmuseum dates the plate to 1743 and records it as an illustration to the first book.

2. Second Book – Pharaoh’s bed of sickness – 1743
Here we see the Pharaoh of Egypt struck by a severe plague. He lies ill on his bed while Sarah sits beside him. The plagues are the result of the Pharaoh having had Sarah removed from Abraham.
This plate is also designed and engraved by Jan Punt and bears the date 1743.

3. Third Book – Sarah restored to Abraham – 1744
Pharaoh recognizes his mistake and returns Sarah to Abraham. Abraham is then commanded to leave Egypt with his wife and all his possessions.
This especially elegant print was created by Jan Punt in 1744. The Rijksmuseum identifies the plate as a combination of etching and engraving.

4. Fourth Book – Lot separates from Abraham – 1744
Abraham and Lot have such large flocks that their herdsmen come into conflict. The two relatives decide to part ways. In the foreground Abraham and Lot face each other; in the background the landscape with shepherds, cattle, and the expansive surroundings can be seen.
The print was designed and engraved by Jan Punt in 1744 and is a particularly fine example of the combination of etching and copper engraving. The Rijksmuseum identifies this plate, among other things, with the title Lot separates from Abraham and notes that it was used as an illustration for the fourth book.

5. Fifth Book – Melchizedek welcomes Abraham with gifts – 1744
Abraham meets Melchizedek, king and priest of Salem, who meets him with bread and wine and blesses him.
This depiction forms an important religious moment within the epic. The plate was designed and engraved by Jan Punt in 1744. It belongs to the twelve original illustrations Punt made for the twelve books.

6. Sixth Book – Hagar humiliates herself before Sarah – 1744
A dramatic family scene: Sarah humbles Hagar, who is pregnant with Abraham’s child. Hagar stands before Abraham and Sarah, while the shepherd life and landscape unfold in the background.
The plate is by Jan Punt, based on his own design, and dated 1744. Here too Punt combined etching and engraving.

7. Seventh Book – Abraham sacrifices three angels – 1744
One of the best-known scenes in the story: three angels visit Abraham. Abraham receives them hospitably and provides them with food. They announce the birth of a son. Abraham listens while kneeling; Sarah overhears from behind a wall.
The plate was designed and engraved by Jan Punt in 1744.

8. Eighth Book – The weaning feast of Isaac – 1745
Abraham gives a feast on the occasion of Isaac’s growth. During the feast Sarah notices that Ishmael, Abraham and Hagar’s son, laughs mockingly. This leads to the famous conflict regarding Hagar and Ishmael.
The plate was produced by Jan Punt in 1745, again as etching and engraving.

9. Ninth Book – Isaac taught by Abraham – 1745
A calmer, more intimate scene: Abraham teaches his son Isaac while walking through the landscape. Abraham has his arm around Isaac; a dog accompanies them.
This plate designed and engraved by Jan Punt in 1745.

10. Tenth Book – Abraham’s heaviest trial of faith – 1745
One of the dramatic climaxes of the work: Abraham stands about to sacrifice his son Isaac. Isaac is bound on the altar, while Abraham lifts his sword. At the decisive moment an angel holds him back and points to the ram appearing behind the tree.
This impressive plate was designed and engraved by Jan Punt in 1745.

11. Eleventh Book – The burial of Sarah – 1745
Two men carry Sarah’s body to the Cave of Machpelah. Abraham has bought the burial site to bury his wife.
The plate was made by Jan Punt in 1745. It is again etching and copper engraving, with particularly fine detailing in the figures, architecture, and surroundings.

12. Twelfth Book – The deathbed of Abraham – 1745
The sequence ends with Abraham’s death. Family members gather around his deathbed; angels appear above him in heavenly light. This concluding plate is also by Jan Punt, dated 1745, and executed as etching and engraving. It illustrates the eleventh/twelfth part of the life history and forms a fitting conclusion to the monumental suite.

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Engraved portrait of Arnold Hoogvliet – a particularly outstretched copy
In addition to the twelve Biblical illustrations, the book contains the engraved portrait of Arnold Hoogvliet, a highly coveted component of these illustrated editions.

The portrait is based on a painting by Dionys van Nijmegen and was engraved by the famous Dutch portrait engraver Jacob Houbraken. The portrait is dated 1745. Bibliographic descriptions of this edition explicitly state: “the portrait of Arnold Hoogvliet, dated 1745, is made after a lost painting of the Dutch artist Dionys van Nijmegen, and is executed by J. Houbraken.”

In the offered copy this portrait appears as an outward-extending/ fold-out engraving. This is a particularly attractive and collectible feature. The fold lines have locally been reinforced with old paper, an old restoration in itself, and the plate remains complete. The portrait also contains textual framing and a poetic eulogy of Hoogvliet. It gives the edition an extra personal character: the poet who tells his grand Biblical epic within the book is literally present as the author within the book.

Frontispiece and title vignette:

The remaining print material is also of art-historical interest.
The allegorical title print/frontispiece was originally designed by Jan Wandelaar. The piece has an allegorical character and ties Abraham to Christian virtues and the triumph over vice and idolatry. The Rijksmuseum catalogs the original title print as a combination of etching and engraving, produced by Jan Wandelaar in 1728.
The later Beman editions retained this famous title print. For the title vignette, from the sixth edition a new design by Simon Fokke was used; the literature notes that Beman replaced this vignette from 1754 with Fokke’s more modern composition.
Moreover, above the commission to Johan van der Heim there is a carved family crest, as is customary in the Beman editions. The first edition already contained an engraved coat of arms above the dedication.

Technique and artistic value:

The twelve main plates are beautifully executed copper engravings combined with etching. The combination gives the prints rich tonal values: etching provides lively lines and landscapes, while the burin engraving allows finer modeling and strong black-and-white contrasts.
Jan Punt was not only an engraver but also a designer and artist. For this edition he made twelve independent designs, so the prints do not simply serve as decorative additions but form a visual parallel to Hoogvliet’s twelve books. The Rijksmuseum even possesses an album with the twelve original designs by Jan Punt from 1744–1745 for these illustrations.
This makes the illustrations of Abraham the Patriarch a fine example of the close collaboration between Dutch literature and eighteenth-century printmaking.

Binding and condition:

The book is bound in an original leather binding from the period, with stamps on the covers and spine.
The spine is ribbed, giving the book a characteristic eighteenth-century appearance. The binding shows signs of age and use, appropriate for a book of over 260 years.
The text block is complete with the richly illustrated preliminaries, the twelve plates, and the portrait.
Notably, the outward-fold portrait engraving of Hoogvliet is locally reinforced at the fold lines with old paper. This restoration is old and clearly intended to prevent further damage to the delicate folds. The presence of the complete fold-out plate is thereby all the more remarkable.

Normal age-related features of paper, binding, and plates should be expected in a 1762 copy. Contents: 12 large Biblical copperplates, one for each book; all twelve plates by Jan Punt, designed by him; plates dated 1743–1745; an engraved portrait of Arnold Hoogvliet, by J. Houbraken after Dionys van Nijmegen, dated 1745; the portrait in this copy is fold-out; the famous allegorical frontispiece by Jan Wandelaar; engraved title vignette; engraved coat of arms of Johan van der Heim; original, richly stamped leather binding with ribbed spine; seventh edition, Rotterdam, Jan Daniel Beman and Son, 1762.
The twelve plates were originally produced between 1743 and 1745 and remained in use across various Beman editions. The seventh edition of 1762 is the last edition published during Hoogvliet’s lifetime. A highly attractive object for collectors of Dutch literature, eighteenth-century book art, Biblical printmaking, copper engravings, and historic bindings.

Bibliographical details:

Author: Arnold Hoogvliet (1687–1763)
Title: Abraham, the Patriarch, in XII Books
Edition: The Seventh Edition
Place: Rotterdam
Publisher: Jan Daniel Beman and Son
Year: 1762
Format: 4to
Extent: [54], 288 pp.
Illustrations: engraved frontispiece, title vignette, coat-of-arms engraving, portrait, and 12 full-page plates
Chief illustrator: Jan Punt
Portrait: J. Houbraken, after Dionys van Nijmegen
Frontispiece: Jan Wandelaar
Plate technique: etching and copper engraving
Binding: original leather binding, stamped covers and spine, ribbed
Condition: good antique condition with normal age-related signs; fold-out portrait with old paper attachments at the folds.

Summary:

A very attractive and richly illustrated seventh edition of Hoogvliet’s famous Abraham the Patriarch, with the complete set of twelve Bible plates designed and engraved by Jan Punt—and the particularly beautiful fold-out author’s portrait by J. Houbraken after Dionys van Nijmegen in this copy. The combination of the original eighteenth-century leather binding, the twelve high-quality copper engravings, and the fold-out author portrait makes this a highly interesting and collectible example of Dutch eighteenth-century book art.

Photos accompanying the description. Please bid and not on Sunday. No other defects observed beyond normal age-related signs. Typographical/printing errors at the buyer’s risk. Photos taken in partially poor light. The flyleaf at the end is of a later date, evident by its smaller size. Nevertheless, an original old flyleaf. The book is not cultural heritage but an object of use.