Bowyer Bible Prints depicting scenes from Israelite history

Phillip Medhurst · 2026-02-17T00:00:00Z

BOWYER BIBLE PRINTS ILLUSTRATING THE HISTORY OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH This image collection contains prints illustrating various scenes of the history of the kings of Israel and Judah in the books of Kings and Chronicles in the Bowyer Bible. Robert Bowyer (1758-1834) spent a fortune on his own copy of the Macklin Bible which he expanded to 45 volumes after acquiring and inserting over 6200 different prints of Biblical events. He had a custom designed bookcase built just to house his collection; The Bowyer Bible is now housed in Bolton Museums and Archives who acquired it in 1948.  On October 14, 1840 The Times of London carried the following notice: "There is at present, in the possession of Mrs. Parker of Golden Square, a copy of Macklin's Bible in forty-five large volumes, illustrated with nearly 7000 engravings from the age of Michael Angelo to that of Reynolds and West. The work also contains about 200 original drawings or vignettes by   Loutherbourg. The prints and etchings include the works of Raffaelle, Marc Antonio, Albert Durer, Callot, Rembrandt, and other masters, consisting of representations of nearly every fact, circumstance, and object mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. There are, moreover, designs of trees, plants, flowers, quadrupeds, birds, fishes, and insects; such as, besides fossils, have been adduced in proof of the universal Deluge. The most authentic Scripture atlasses are bound up with the volumes. The Bible was the property of the late Mr. Bowyer the publisher, who collected and arranged the engravings, etchings, and drawings at great expense and labour; and he is said to have been engaged for upwards of thirty years in rendering it perfect. It was insured at the Albion Insurance Office for £3000." Robert Bowyer (1758-1834) was a miniature-painter and print-publisher, proprietor of the Historic Gallery illustrating Hume's History (founded 1792, collapsed 1807). He also produced The Bowyer Bible (1791-5). Thomas Macklin (c.1760 - 1800) was a printseller and publisher. He began his series of “British Poets” in 1787, and the “Macklin Bible” in 1790. These and many other of the illustrations have been made available online via social media by Revd Phillip Medhurst (b.1948). Medhurst writes: “For me these two great Bibles (ie. Macklin and Bowyer) are not primarily objects of academic study. Instead, I see myself as carrying on the work of men such as Thomas Macklin and especially of Robert Bowyer: namely, to spread abroad the Word of God as mediated by artistic genius. The 21st century phenomenon of the internet provides an opportunity undreamt-of by the two publisher-collectors to do this, and has enabled me to see myself as carrying on the work they began.” The titles of the prints in this collection are as follows:- 01-a-great-host-comes-to-davids-help-1-chronicles-cap-12-v-22-heuman 02--obadiah-takes-the-prophets-into-a-cave-1-kings-cap-18-v-4-caspar-luyken 03-hanun-shaves-davids-servants-1-chronicles-cap-19-v-4-hoet 04-david-and-the-elders-fall-down-before-the-angel-of-the-lord-1-chronicles-cap-21-vv-15-16-luyken 05-davids-thanksgiving-1-chronicles-cap-29-vv-10-19-lichtenategu 06-the-kings-son-is-crowned-2-kings-cap-11-vv-14-16-picart 07-the-dead-man-is-raised-by-touching-elishas-bones-2-kings-cap-13-v-21-jan-and-caspar-luyken 08-the-destruction-of-strange-nations-in-samaria-2-kings-cap-17-v-25-friderich 09-hezekiah-destroys--idols-2-kings-cap-18-v-4-jan-luyken 10-the-angel-of-the-lord-smites-the-assyrians-2-kings-cap-19-v-31-picart 11-hezekiahs-life-is-lengthened-2-kings-cap-20-vv-7-11-caspar-luyken 12-hilkiah-and-the-prophetess-2-kings-cap-22-v-14-caspar-luyken 13-the-kings-of-israel-and-judah-2-chronicles-cap-18-vv-9-27-caspar-luyken 14-jehoshaphat-prays-2-chronicles-cap-20-vv-5-17-marillier 15-jehoshaphat-appoints-singers-unto-the-lord-2-chronicles-cap-20-vv-20-24-marillier 16-the-death-of-jehoram-2-chronicles-cap-21-vv-18-19-sperlingen 17-a-chest-is-placed-to-receive-contributions-2-chronicles-cap-24-vv-8-11-marillier 18-zachariah-is-stoned-2-chronicles-cap-24-v-21-de-vos 19-uzziah-offers-incense-2-chronicles-cap-26-vv-16-20-marillier 20-oded-sends-the-captives-back-2-chronicles-cap-28-vv-8-11-picart 21-manasseh-in-affliction-2-chronicles-cap-33-vv-11-12-picart 22-the-death-of-josiah-2-chronicles-cap-35-vv-23-24-marillier 23-huldah-prophesies-the-destruction-of-jerusalem-2-kings-cap-22-vv-14-20-marillier 24-phillip-medhurst-bible-the-destruction-of-jerusalem-2-kings-cap-25-picart