Revealing His Secret

Samson and Delilah engraving by the French artist Paul Gustave Doré (1832–1883) from the illustrated Bible (1866). Obviously Samson is explaing the importance of his long hair. Poor fool.

Farewell to Live

Jephthah's daughter (1866) one of the Bible illustrations by the French engraver Paul Gustave Doré (1832–1883).
The young girl is here celebrating and lamenting her upcoming sacrifice. A really strange story!

Jezebel’s Death

Jezebel’s Death by the French artist Paul Gustave Doré (1832–1883).

That’s another one of Doré’s Bible illustrations of 1866. Here he shows how the evil queen is thrown out of the window of her palace. Down on the street there are already waiting the dogs which will devour her body.

Pharaoh's Daughter and Moses

The finding of Moses by the French artist Paul Gustave Doré (1832–1883), one of his Bible illustrations of 1866.

Pharaoh's daughter and her entourage are here depicted in a proper historical manner. So that the scenery looks realistic. But the stage light from above focusing on the basket with Moses reveals the artificial construction of the whole setting.

Boaz and Ruth

Once more the hard working Ruth is discovered by Boaz, her future husband.

Engraving by Paul Gustave Doré (1832–1883) from the illustrated Bible (1866).

Theatrical Esther

Esther before the king from the Bible illustrated by Paul Gustave Doré (1832–1883).

For Doré it was important be historical as exact as possible. So he drew a kind of exotic palace and costumes which could pass as Persian. But if you look at how theatrically Esther is losing her consciousness, it could only be on a stage. So it’s theatre in a good setting what Doré is showing.

Hagar and Ishmael

Because Sarah the beloved wife of Abraham thougt she couln't become pregnant she gave her husband her Egyptian slave Hagar as a second wife. Hagar hat with Abraham a son whom she named Ishmael. With the years there aroused more and more problems between the two women. Sarah was the first, but Hagar was the mother of Abramhams son. These problems culminated after fourteen years when Sarah herself gave birth to Isaac. After new quarrels she demanded now the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael. In the region where Abraham where living with his family this was like a death sentence. So Abraham was at first reluctant to send them into the mortal desert. But when God supported the demands of his wife and
promised to take care of Ishmael, Abraham resited no longer.

Alone in the wilderness Hagar and Ishmael ran out of water. When they where near to death an angel appeared and showed Hagar a well. Later Ishmael became the forefather of the Arab people.

In this story there are some different aspects which interested western artists. At first there is the terrible expulsion of the helpless mother and her child. The second is how the both where near to neath in the wilderness and then saved by an angel. Some artists depicts how Sarah presents Hagar to her husband, Ishmael as an archer or other scenes. But above all remain the two: the expulsion and the saving by the angel.


Paul Gustave Doré (1832–1883) was a French artist and engraver. 1866 he made the illustrations for an English Bible, from which these pictures are taken.
Dore ist not the most important artist. But as a very popular engraver his pictures are comprehensive to art history. He is using the most symbols and arangements which are typical for the paintings of better artists. There is the the exaggerated pose of Abraham, the little child - it must have been at least 16 years at this time. In the wilderness its dark, Hagar is praying like on a stage and in front there is the empty jar.
All is arranged like a scene from a silent movie.