The Throne Bearers Relief at Persepolis, Antique Niebuhr Print, 1780
€ 230
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1780
Mapmaker / artist
Carsten Niebuhr; C. J. de Huyser direxit
Publisher
S. J. Baalde, Amsterdam, and Barthelemy Wild, Utrecht
Technique
Copper engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Sheet size
30 × 22 cm (11.8 × 8.7 in)
Condition
Fair
Reference
BG-14407-2-30
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
A small loss at the left edge toward the lower left, outside the printed area. Narrow lower margin. Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Marked handling soiling along the right and top edges. A few small foxing spots.
About this sheet
This is an original antique copper engraving, published in 1780, from the second volume of Carsten Niebuhr's travels. The plate carries no title or caption; it shows a tall relief of a throne platform carried on the raised arms of standing men.
At the top a bearded figure in a tall crown sits on a high backed chair, his feet on a footstool, holding a long staff in one hand and a small flower in the other. Behind him an attendant in a long robe raises a curved fly whisk and holds a cloth. Above them hangs a canopy with a fringe of tassels, topped by two bands of small walking animals, each with a winged disc at its center.
Below, the throne platform rests on three registers of men who stand with both arms raised overhead, four in the top register and five in each of the two below, each dressed differently from his neighbor in robes, tunics, cloaks and caps. The platform is framed at the sides by massive turned legs with scrolled brackets ending in animal heads, and the legs end in fluted feet at the bottom. The lower right margin is signed C: J. de Huyser, direx,, and the plate number Tab: XXX. is engraved at the upper right.
The plate comes from the second volume, Tome Second, of Carsten Niebuhr's Voyage en Arabie & en d'autres Pays circonvoisins, Traduit de l'Allemand, published by S. J. Baalde at Amsterdam and Barthelemy Wild at Utrecht, with the date MDCCLXXX, 1780, on its title page. Carsten Niebuhr (1733 to 1815) was a German born surveyor in Danish service and the only member of the Danish expedition to Arabia (1761 to 1767), sent by King Frederick V of Denmark, to return alive. The account was first published in German at Copenhagen; this is the French translation printed in Amsterdam and Utrecht.
A small loss at the left edge toward the lower left, outside the printed area. Narrow lower margin. Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Marked handling soiling along the right and top edges. A few small foxing spots.
This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.
