Abyssinian of Massawa and Church at Gondar, Ethiopia, Antique Print, 1859
€ 320
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1859
Mapmaker / artist
Alphonse Boilly (engraver)
Publisher
Furne et Cie, Paris
Technique
Steel Engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Sheet size
26.5 × 16.5 cm (10.4 × 6.5 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-11494-16
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
Light handling wear to the bottom right, top left and top right corners; minor nicks along the right edge. Even age toning, soiled along the left and top edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. Faint water stain at the top.
About this sheet
An original antique steel engraving, uncolored, with two Abyssinian subjects, captioned "ABYSSIN DE MASSAOUAH" and "ÉGLISE DE GONDAR". In the upper vignette a man in a turban and loose white robes sits on a low wooden bed laced with cord, one knee raised and a staff in his hand, with a cloth hung over the rail beside him. Behind him an open window in the stone wall looks out over water with a small sailing boat and hills beyond, and a large jar stands on the floor to the right. The lower vignette shows a square church with a crenellated parapet, a small dome topped by a cross and a corner tower, set above broad flights of steps and a terrace, with figures walking and standing in the foreground and a mountain behind.
The captions translate as Abyssinian of Massawa and Church of Gondar. The publisher's line at the foot reads "Publié par Furne, à Paris" (Published by Furne, in Paris). In small letters at the lower left corner of the lower image is the printer's line "Imp. Delamain, 8, r. Git-le-Cœur, Paris.", and at the lower right the plate is signed "alp. Boilly s.", the signature of the engraver Alphonse Boilly, s. standing for sculpsit (engraved it).
It was issued in Voyage en Asie et en Afrique, written by MM. Eyriès and Alfred Jacobs and published in Paris in 1859 by Furne et Cie, éditeurs, 45 rue Saint-André-des-Arts. The book forms part of the Histoire générale des voyages of Dumont d'Urville, d'Orbigny, Eyriès and A. Jacobs, which presented the voyages and travels of the period to French readers, with plates engraved on steel and printed on separate leaves.
Nineteenth century views of Ethiopia and the Red Sea coast suit a collection on the Horn of Africa.
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.
