01
Genesis 3
Angel Guiding Adam and Eve at Sunset
An angel guides Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, into warm sunset light.
Then and now, and canvas optionsORIGINAL NINETEENTH-CENTURY ENGRAVINGS · CONTEMPORARY CANVAS ART
The Victorian
Bible Collection.
Around the 1850s, an ambitious illustrated family Bible brought the people, places and stories of scripture into Victorian homes. One surviving copy is the foundation of this growing collection: its engravings photographed, studied and reinterpreted as richly coloured canvas art.
12 ARTWORKS · AFTER THE COMPREHENSIVE FAMILY BIBLE
THE COLLECTION
More than
a book of scripture.
Published by Blackie & Son and edited by David Davidson, LL.D., The Comprehensive Family Bible combined the Old and New Testaments with commentary, practical reflections, maps, reference tables and finely executed engravings.
Its illustrations have been photographed and selectively reinterpreted with modern digital imaging and AI-assisted techniques. Biblical scenes, ancient cities, Mediterranean harbours and historical landscapes become richly coloured compositions for large-format canvas.
The original engravings remain an essential part of the story. They connect every new artwork to the artists, engravers and publishers who made the images more than a century and a half ago.
THE ARTWORKS
Explore the first
twelve artworks.
Biblical scenes and historical places, each with its own story, its original engraving and its contemporary interpretation. Portrait, landscape and wide works are printed at their own proportions.
02
Smyrna, now İzmir, Türkiye
Golden-Hour Harbour and Hilltop Fortress
Mediterranean sailing craft cross the harbour at Smyrna beneath a hilltop fortress.
Then and now, and canvas options03
Jerusalem
Golden-Hour Panorama of Historic Jerusalem
Walls, domes and towers of historic Jerusalem in late golden light.
Then and now, and canvas options
04
Acts of the Apostles · Caesarea Maritima, Mediterranean coast
Golden-Hour Ruins by the Sea
Travellers on horseback approach the ruins of Caesarea beside the Mediterranean.
Then and now, and canvas options
05
1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians · Thessaloniki, Greece
Golden-Hour Thessalonica Harbour
Sailing vessels in the harbour at Thessalonica, the city rising against the mountains.
Then and now, and canvas options
06
Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, John 13
Renaissance Supper in a Grand Hall
Christ and the apostles gather at a long table in a richly detailed hall.
Then and now, and canvas options
07
Matthew 5–7
Sermon on the Mount at Golden Hour
Christ teaches a gathered crowd on a hillside in warm afternoon light.
Then and now, and canvas options
08
Matthew 25:1–13
The Wise and Foolish Virgins
Christ’s parable of readiness, framed in Victorian Gothic arches and inscriptions.
Then and now, and canvas options
09
Matthew 4:18–22, Mark 4:35–41, John 6:1 · Sea of Galilee, from near Safed
Golden Sunset Over the Sea of Galilee
Travellers pause on a hillside path above the Sea of Galilee as the sun sets across the lake.
Then and now, and canvas options
10
Acts 11:19–26, Acts 13:1–3 · Antioch, now Antakya, Türkiye
Golden-Hour Vista of Ancient Antioch
Antioch spreads along its river beneath great limestone cliffs, with travellers on the road below.
Then and now, and canvas options
11
Matthew 15:21, Acts 27:3 · Sidon (Saida), Lebanon
Golden Hour at Ancient Sidon
Fishermen mend their nets on the shore at Sidon as the sun sets beyond the sea castle.
Then and now, and canvas options
12
Acts 28:14–16, Romans 1:7 · Rome, Italy
Golden-Hour Panorama of Historic Rome
Rome glows at sunset beyond a tall umbrella pine, its domes, towers and an obelisk across the skyline.
Then and now, and canvas optionsFROM VICTORIAN ENGRAVING TO CONTEMPORARY ART
Thousands of lines,
now in colour.
The engravers of the nineteenth century worked with extraordinary patience and precision. Light, shadow, water, cloud, architecture and expression were all made from carefully controlled lines, printed in black and white and leaving readers to imagine the colours.
The contemporary interpretations add colour, atmospheric light and extra detail while keeping the original subjects and their historical inspiration. They are not exact historical reconstructions or colour photographs of the past. They are new artworks created from genuine nineteenth-century sources.
How an engraving becomes a canvasTHE ORIGINAL BIBLE BEHIND THE ART
A family Bible
that survived.
The source of the collection is a substantial Victorian family Bible with an ornate leather binding, embossed decoration, gold tooling and numerous engraved illustrations.
Its engraved title page names the work as The Comprehensive Family Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments with copious notes, practical reflections, an introduction, parallel passages and an index. The editor is David Davidson, LL.D., and the publisher Blackie and Son of London, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The publication date of this copy is still to be verified. It is believed to date from around the 1850s.
Discover the original BibleMEET THE ORIGINAL ARTISTS AND ENGRAVERS
The names
behind the plates.
One of the most valuable surviving pages is the printed List of the Engravings.
It names each subject, its scripture reference, its painter and its engraver, direct evidence of the artists behind the illustrations. Among the entries are The Expulsion, by John Tenniel and engraved by William Holl, and The Finding of Moses, after Köhler and engraved by H. Robinson.
Those credits are preserved beside the new artworks, so you can explore both the original craftsmanship and its contemporary interpretation.
Explore the engravings catalogueQUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
About the
collection.
The longer history is in the original Bible and engravings catalogue pages.
How old is the original Bible?
It is believed to date from around the 1850s. The exact date of this copy has not been verified, and the title page carries no date.
Who published The Comprehensive Family Bible?
The title page names Blackie and Son, Paternoster Row, London, and Glasgow and Edinburgh. The plates carry the imprint “Blackie & Son, Glasgow, Edinburgh & London”, and a reference page names the printers W. G. Blackie and Co., Villafield, Glasgow.
Who edited it?
The title page credits David Davidson, LL.D.
Who illustrated the original Bible?
Many artists and engravers. The printed List of the Engravings and the credits under each plate name painters such as John Tenniel, Köhler, H. Warren, W. L. Leitch, J. A. Houston and Sam Bough, and engravers such as William Holl, H. Robinson, E. Radclyffe and W. Forrest. Several plates are engraved after Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt and Carlo Dolci.
Are the new artworks original Victorian paintings?
No. They are contemporary AI-assisted interpretations inspired by engravings in the original Bible. The colours and added details are new, not a record of how the scenes looked.
Can I see the original engravings?
Yes. Every photographed plate is in the engravings catalogue with its printed credits, and each artwork page shows the original beside the new interpretation.
Are the artworks available as canvas prints?
Yes. Each artwork page shows its sizes, gallery wrap and floating frame prices, and a Buy button.
Will more artworks be added?
Yes. The collection grows as more engravings are photographed and interpreted.
Every artwork in this collection is a contemporary AI-assisted artwork inspired by an original nineteenth-century engraving from The Comprehensive Family Bible, published by Blackie & Son.