Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1757
Sheet size
25 × 18.2 cm (9.8 × 7.2 in)
Reference
BG-14038-81, -82
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
Both prints are well-preserved, with strong plate impressions and crisp details. Light toning and minor edge wear are consistent with age.
About this sheet
Native American ornaments from the Histoire Générale des Voyages, a pair of copperplate engravings published in 1757, printed as two separate sheets, each numbered within Tome XIV. Pencil notes in the margins attribute the subject to Virginia.
The first plate (No. VII) is titled "Différents Atours dont les Indiens se parent dans leurs Danses". It shows two feathered bonnets, one a plumed cap and the other a spreading fan of feathers (lettered "Bonnets de Plume"), a netted girdle (the "Couyou ou Tablier Indien", an Indian apron), and a patterned strip labeled "Camisa Indien". The second plate (No. VIII), "Suite des Atours des Indiens", lays out a series of belts and necklaces: sashes of feathers, a belt with a wavy woven band, a net of beads, and necklaces of animal teeth, with the key letters A to D explained in the heading.
The engraver's fine hatching renders the feather and bead textures clearly, and the set offers a European compilation of the dress of North American peoples drawn from travel accounts.
