About this sheet
Original Antique Engraving of an Inca Palace in Peru by Jorge Juan & Ulloa, 1748
An original antique copperplate engraving depicting the remains of an Inca ceremonial complex in Peru. The plate was published in Madrid in 1748 as part of the landmark scientific work Relación Histórica del Viaje a la América Meridional by Jorge Juan y Santacilia and Antonio de Ulloa.
The engraving is titled "Vista y Perspectiva..." and presents a bird's-eye perspective of a substantial stone enclosure with a circular tower-like structure at its centre, surrounded by courtyards and rectangular buildings. A descriptive banner suspended between two eagles identifies the site as the remains of an ancient palace and temple of the Incas. The surrounding Andean landscape is rendered with rivers, mountains and vegetation, creating one of the earliest printed archaeological views of an Inca monument.
Jorge Juan y Santacilia (1713–1773) and Antonio de Ulloa (1716–1795) travelled throughout Peru and Ecuador between 1735 and 1745 as members of the celebrated French–Spanish Geodesic Mission. Their monumental publication combined geography, archaeology, ethnography and natural history, and remains one of the most important eighteenth-century works on the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru.
The engravings in this work are among the earliest European archaeological illustrations of Inca architecture, documenting monuments that fascinated both scientists and travellers during the Enlightenment. Today they are highly regarded by collectors of early archaeology, South American exploration and colonial history.
This is an original antique engraving printed in the eighteenth century. It is not a modern reproduction.
Maker: Jorge Juan y Santacilia and Antonio de Ulloa
Work: Relación Histórica del Viaje a la América Meridional
Plate: Lámina XIX
Place of publication: Madrid
Date: 1748
Technique: Copperplate engraving
Origin: Spain
Condition:
Good condition considering its age, except for the area outside the framing area. Original centre fold as issued. General age-related toning, occasional light foxing and minor handling wear. Please study the image carefully.
The framed and interior visuals are provided for imagination and presentation purposes only. The original antique print is sold unframed.
Keywords:
Peru, Inca, Incan architecture, Inca palace, Inca temple, archaeological engraving, archaeology, pre-Columbian Peru, Viceroyalty of Peru, Jorge Juan, Antonio de Ulloa, Relación Histórica del Viaje a la América Meridional, Geodesic Mission, Enlightenment, Madrid, 1748, original antique print, copperplate engraving, Spanish exploration, colonial Peru, South America, Latin America, historical engraving, archaeological site, Inca ruins, eighteenth century, museum quality.
