Nicolas Fontaine (1625–1709) - Set of 4: The Destruction of the Dragon and the Idol of Bel, The Presentation of Christ in the

This set of four engraved plates illustrates key episodes of sacred history, from the Creation of the World to the life of Christ. Each scene is composed with classical clarity and accompanied by printed French scriptural narrative, reflecting the didactic and devotional purpose of seventeenth-century French biblical illustration.

The Creation of the World: the opening narrative of the Book of Genesis. Divine light radiates from the heavens over a peaceful landscape filled with animals, birds and creatures of the waters, a harmonious vision of the newly created world.

Moses Receiving the Law on Mount Sinai ("First Tables"): from the Book of Exodus, Moses ascends Mount Sinai amid gathering storm clouds to commune with God and receive the tablets of the Law. The dramatic mountain landscape and the heavenly radiance evoke the awe of divine revelation.

The Destruction of the Dragon and the Idol of Bel: from the Book of Daniel, the prophet confronts the sacred serpent revered by the Babylonians, before an assembly of rulers, soldiers and citizens set against the architecture of an ancient city. The episode, in which Daniel exposes the false gods of Babylon, was a favourite subject for illustrating the triumph of true faith over idolatry.

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple ("Purification of the Virgin"): from the Gospel of Luke, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph present the infant Christ in the Temple to the aged Simeon, surrounded by the faithful, beneath classical columns and hovering cherubim.

The plates come from L'Histoire du Vieux et du Nouveau Testament, first published in Paris in 1670 under the pseudonym "Sieur de Royaumont" and widely known as the Bible de Royaumont. Written within the circle of the abbey of Port-Royal and generally attributed to Nicolas Fontaine, the work retold the Bible as a sequence of short narratives, each accompanied by an engraving and a moral reflection. Intended for the religious education of young people and families, it became one of the most popular religious books in France and was reprinted continuously for more than two centuries.

Nicolas Fontaine (1625–1709) was a French theologian and writer closely associated with the Jansenist community of Port-Royal-des-Champs. He served as secretary and companion to leading Port-Royal figures, above all Louis-Isaac Lemaistre de Sacy, translator of the celebrated Port-Royal Bible, and shared his imprisonment in the Bastille. Fontaine wrote and translated numerous religious works, and his Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire de Port-Royal remain an important testimony to the history of the movement. His illustrated Histoire du Vieux et du Nouveau Testament shaped the religious imagination of generations of French readers.

Artist or Maker: Nicolas Fontaine
Dimensions: Approximately 35 cm x 24 cm (each).
Medium: Engraving.
Date: 17th Century.
SKU: PLA-0930-2

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