Bible

1697 · 18733 — Regensburg: C. Weigel 1697. Hardcover. Very good-. Four volumes small quarto 19.7 by 14.8 cm. Captions in Latin biblical book and chapter and German biblical book chapter and verses with quote. Copperplate engravings throughout: 1 title 175 plates; 1 title 225 plates; 1 title 288 plates; 148 plates. Total = 836 unnumbered plates 3 engraved title pages. Uniformly bound in contemporary sheep with ruled borders; spines with raised bands blindstamped ornaments and letterpress titles on heavy paper labels. Lacks fourth volume title page. Covers rubbed/lightly worn at extremities; slight loss to labels; light almost exclusively marginal foxing throughout all volumes; dampstains in first volume affecting first seven plates and top margin through first third of the volume else a very good copy with clean plates.<br /> <br /> Second printing of this pictorial Bible Bilderbibel published by the engraver and art dealer Christoph Weigel 1654-1725. The grand biblical story from the Seven Days of Creation to the Vision of a New Jerusalem here unfolds in 836 beautifully engraved plates. The designs were chiefly drawn by Johann Jacob von Sandrart 1655-1698 and Georg Christoph Eimmart the Younger 1638-1705. The engravings were made by Elias Christian Heiss J. U. Kraus L. Heckenauer and Weigel himself among others. Weigel had earlier collaborated with J. J. von Sandrart on the Passio Domini Nostri Iesu Christi Neo-coelatis Iconibus Expressa Augsburg 1693 a pictorial Gospel harmony depicted in 100 engraved plates.<br /> <br /> Christoph Weigel first trained as a goldsmith and later apprenticed to his cousin Erhart Weigel a famous instrument maker in Jena. He journeyed to Augsburg in 1693 where he learned the art of engraving from Andreas Wolfgang and later from Matthäus Küsel. His published works tended to serve didactic and edification purposes including illustrated chronicles and a compendium of notable political events of the early eighteenth century. Among his notable cartographic works is the Descriptio orbis antiqui in XLIV tabulis exhibita A Description of the Ancient World in 44 Maps - Nürnberg 1720. <br /> <br /> The Biblia Ectypa was first published in a large folio format at Augsburg in 1695 with four engraved plates appearing on each leaf. In 1697 the plates were re-issued at Regensburg in two formats: a smaller oblong folio with two plates per leaf and a quarto with a single plate per leaf. Wildly successful the Biblia Ectypa enabled Weigel to establish his own print publishing company in Nürnberg where he was soon joined by his younger brother Johann Christoph Weigel and worked closely with the prominent map publisher Johann Baptist Homann.<br /> <br /> Annotations: Plates numbered by hand in black ink at top corner though sometimes slightly out of order with occasional corrrections in the first two volumes. An old German hand has noted a correct count for each volume at the rear endleaf e.g. Enthält 288 Küpfern.<br /> <br /> A notably complete set of this uncommon edition lacking only the fourth title page. The total count of 836 engraved illustrations is confirmed via the online catalogue Das Verzeichnis der im deutschen Sprachraum erschienenen Drucke des 17. Jahrhunderts VD17. References: Paul Johannes Rée "Weigel Christoph" in: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 41 1896 pp. 464-465 Online-Version; Thieme-Becker XXV 227-228; VD17 23:659088P vol. 1; 23:659089W vol. 2; 23:659091S vol. 3; 23:659092Z vol. 4. C. Weigel hardcover