Bowyer Bible Prints: the Apocrypha

Phillip Medhurst · 2016-02-15T00:00:00Z

BOWYER BIBLE PRINTS: THE APOCRYPHA This image-collection contains prints illustrating the Apocrypha in the Bowyer Bible, a grangerised version of the Macklin Bible. The artists represented here had no doubts about the historical veracity of the events delineated; this, together with their lack of the knowledge about historical dress and middle eastern topography which only became prevalent a hundred years after the creation of this collection makes the artworks curious as well as compelling. Furthermore, because the reformed churches rejected the canonicity of these books, artists allowed themselves a small degree of licence in introducing an erotic element into representations of Judith and Susanna, giving these subjects an extra appeal. 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. These and many other of the illustrations have been made available online via social media by Phillip Medhurst (b.1948). The titles of the prints in this collection are as follows:- 01-power-of-the-king-1-esdras-cap-3-de-hooge 02-esdras-and-the-angel-1-esdras-caps-3-4-mellan 03-the-narrow-way-1-esdras-cap-7-vv-6-9-jan-luyken 04-power-of-the-king-1-esdras-cap-4-vv-1-12-mandere 05-power-of-the-women-1-esdras-cap-4-vv-14-41-frank 06-the-narrow-way-1-esdras-cap-7-vv-6-9-jan-luyken 07-esdras-and-the-angel-2-esdras-cap-10-vv-25-31-de-vos 08-tobit-burying-the-dead-tobit-cap-1-v-17-le-fage 09-tobit-burying-the-dead-tobit-cap-1-vv-16-18-herman 10-tobit-burying-the-dead-tobit-cap-1-v-17-sandrart 11-tobit-burying-the-dead-tobit-cap-1-vv-17-18-marillier 12-tobit-burying-the-dead-tobit-cap-1-v-17-le-fage 13-tobit-burying-the-dead-tobit-cap-1-vv-16-18-herman 14-tobit-burying-the-dead-tobit-cap-1-v-17-sandrart 15-tobit-burying-the-dead-tobit-cap-1-vv-17-18-marillier 16-tobit-becomes-blind-tobit-cap-2-v-10-mortier 17-tobit-becomes-blind-tobit-cap-2-vv-9-10-marillier 18-tobit-becomes-blind-tobit-cap-2-vv-9-10-bol 19-tobit-giving-instruction-to-his-son-tobit-cap-4-jan-luyken 20-tobias-and-the-angel-tobit-cap-5-v-16-heemskerch 21-tobit-and-his-wife-tobit-cap-2-vv-12-14-veldt 22-tobit-and-the-angel-tobit-cap-3-v-16-sandrart 23-tobit-giving-instruction-to-his-son-tobit-cap-4-jan-luyken 24-tobias-and-the-fish-tobit-cap-6-v-13-cap-5-v-21-de-hooghe 25-tobit-and-the-fish-tobit-cap-6-v-2-westall 26-tobias-and-the-fish-tobit-cap-6-vv-2-4-goudt 27-tobias-and-the-fish-tobit-cap-6-vv-1-8-goudt 28-tobias-and-the-fish-tobit-cap-6-v-13-cap-5-v-21-de-hooghe 29-tobit-and-the-fish-tobit-cap-6-v-2-westall 30-tobias-and-the-fish-tobit-cap-6-vv-2-4-goudt 31-tobias-and-the-fish-tobit-cap-6-vv-1-8-goudt 32-tobias-and-azarias-tobit-cap-6-vv-3-6-poclemberg 33-tobias-and-azarias-tobit-cap-6-vv-2-6-salvator-rosa 34-tobias-and-azarias-tobit-cap-6-vv-2-4-velett 35-tobias-and-azarias-tobit-cap-6-vv-3-4-marillier 36-tobias-and-azarias-tobit-cap-6-vv-3-6-poclemberg 37-tobias-and-azarias-tobit-cap-6-vv-2-5-kussell 38-tobias-and-azarias-tobit-cap-6-vv-2-4-rembrandt 39-tobias-and-the-fish-tobit-cap-6-v-4-sandrart 40-tobias-and-azarias-tobit-cap-6-vv-2-4-heemskerck 41-tobias-and-azarias-tobit-cap-6-vv-2-5-bol 42-tobias-and-azarias-tobit-cap-6-vv-2-5-kussell 43-tobias-and-azarias-artist-unknown 44-tobias-and-the-fish-tobit-cap-6-v-4-sandrart 45-meeting-of-sara-and-tobias-tobit-cap-7-vv-1-6-heemskerck 46-tobias-burning-the-entrails-of-the-fish-tobit-cap-8-heemskerck 47-raphael-goes-to-gabaels-house-tobit-cap-9-v-5-marett 48-tobit-meeting-his-daughter-in-law-tobit-cap-11-luyken 49-tobit-blesses-his-daughter-in-law-tobit-cap-10-marillier 50-tobit-blesses-his-daughter-in-law-tobit-cap-10-heemskerck 51-tobias-burning-the-entrails-of-the-fish-tobit-cap-8-heemskerck 52-tobias-and-his-mother-tobit-cap-11-vv-9-10-bol 53-tobit-meeting-his-daughter-in-law-tobit-cap-11-luyken 54-tobits-sight-restored-tobit-cap-11-vv-10-12-mortier 55-tobits-sight-restored-tobit-cap-11-vv-10-13-marian 56-tobits-sight-restored-tobit-cap-11-vv-11-13-caspar-luyken 57-tobits-sight-restored-tobit-cap-11-vv-11-14-marat 58-tobits-sight-restored-tobit-cap-11-vv-11-13-sandrart 59-tobits-sight-restored-tobit-cap-11-vv-10-12-mortier 60-tobits-sight-restored-tobit-cap-11-vv-10-13-marian 61-tobits-sight-restored-tobit-cap-11-vv-11-13-caspar-luyken 62-tobits-sight-restored-tobit-cap-11-vv-11-14-marat 63-tobits-sight-restored-tobit-cap-11-vv-11-13-sandrart 64-the-angel-flying-away-tobit-cap-12-vv-16-20-heemskerck 65-the-angel-flying-away-tobit-cap-12-vv-15-20-rembrandt 66-the-angel-flying-away-tobit-cap-12-vv-16-20-rembrandt 67-the-angel-flying-away-tobit-cap-12-vv-16-20-marillier 68-the-angel-flying-away-tobit-cap-12-vv-16-20-bol 69-the-angel-flying-away-tobit-cap-12-vv-16-20-heemskerck 70-judith-destroys-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-7-10-marillier 71-judith-destroys-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-7-10-sandrart 72-judith-and-the-head-of-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-7-10 73-judith-and-the-head-of-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-7-10-goltzius 74-judith-and-the-head-of-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-7-10 75-judith-destroys-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-7-10-marillier 76-judith-destroys-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-7-10-sandrart 77-judith-and-the-head-of-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-7-10-after-cambiaso 78-judith-and-the-head-of-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-7-10 79-judith-and-the-head-of-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-7-10 80-judith-and-the-head-of-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-9-10-tardieu 81-judith-and-the-head-of-holofernes-judith-13-vv-7-10-mechan 82-judith-and-the-head-of-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-7-10-jan-luyken 83-judith-and-the-head-of-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-7-10-brun 84-judith-and-the-head-of-holofernes-judith-cap-13-vv-7-10 85-the-high-priest-comes-to-judith-judith-cap-15-v-7-bartolozzi 86-the-high-priest-comes-to-judith-judith-cap-15-v-7-after-rubens 87-the-high-priest-comes-to-judith-judith-cap-15-v-7-marillier 88-memento-mori-ecclesiasticus-cap-41-straden 89-susanna-bathing-susanna-vv-19-24-anonymous 90-susanna-with-her-accusers-susanna-vv-32-41-marillier