The Book of Life Opened by the Lamb – Apocalypse by Jean Le Clerc
LE LIVRE DE VIE OUVERT PAR L’AGNEAU
Translation: The Book of Life Opened by the Lamb
This image illustrates Revelation 5:1–10, where the Lamb (identified as Christ) is the only one found worthy to open the scroll sealed with seven seals. The heavenly court—elders, living creatures, and saints—worships the Lamb who has redeemed people by his blood. The engraving shows the Lamb before the enthroned figure (God), with worshippers, harps, and divine symbols surrounding them.
Circa 1600-1630
Born: 1587 or 88 - Died: 1633
Dimensions: Approx 13.5 x 17.5 cm.
Jean Le Clerc (1587/88–1633) was a French Baroque painter and etcher from Nancy, in the Duchy of Lorraine. Trained under the Venetian master Carlo Saraceni, Le Clerc developed a tenebrist style characterized by dramatic contrasts of light and shadow. While only a few of his paintings survive, his numerous etchings and engravings have been preserved, showcasing his skill in depicting religious themes with luminous detail.
The Book of Revelation or Book of the Apocalypse is the final book of the New Testament. Written in Koine Greek, its title is derived from the first word of the text: apokalypsis, meaning ‘unveiling’ or ‘revelation’. The author names himself as simply “John” in the text, but his precise identity remains uncertain. The book is also known as the “Revelation to John”, or “Apocalypse of St. John” and begins with a series of visions he received on the island of Patmos and wrote down in a cave on that island in the Agean.
Explicat agna librum, mortemque perpessa ligatum
Primates agnum, caelicolaeque canunt.
Ex cunctis aperire librum dignissimus agne es
Sanguine nam tuo turba redempta sumus.
Translation:
The Lamb opens the book, sealed through suffering and death;
The elders and the heavenly host sing praises to the Lamb.
Of all, you alone are worthy to open the book, O Lamb—
For by your blood, a multitude has been redeemed.
I. le clerc ex
This is the signature of Jean Le Clerc (Latinized: Ioannes Le Clerc), meaning “drawn/engraved by Le Clerc.”