Classical Warfare & Naval Battles, Set of 5 Antique Engravings, France c.1720
€ 420
One of a kind: this is the sheet in the photographs. Ships from Langweer, the Netherlands.
Date
1720
Sheet size
28 × 35.7 cm (11.0 × 14.1 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14177-9, -10, -12, -13, -14
Condition
Good antique condition overall. Light age-related toning throughout, consistent with early 18th-century paper. Occasional faint foxing, minor edge wear, and soft handling marks visible upon close inspection. Plates show strong, crisp impressions.
About this sheet
Classical Warfare & Naval Battles, Set of 5 Antique Engravings, France c.1720
A striking and intellectually rich set of five original 18th-century French engravings depicting classical land and naval battles, combining panoramic landscapes with precise tactical formations, produced during the Enlightenment period for scholarly military history. The engravings are offered unframed, enabling custom framing to personal or interior preferences.
This curated set presents five related battle scenes and military diagrams, including major naval engagements and land formations from classical antiquity. Executed in fine line engraving, the compositions balance analytical clarity with decorative landscape settings, reflecting the period’s fascination with classical warfare, strategy, and order.
The plates include naval battles with articulated fleet formations as well as land engagements rendered as structured troop arrays across open terrain. The consistent scale, horizon line, and engraving style allow the group to read as a unified wall presentation, ideal for framing as a linear arrangement or salon-style hang.
Originally published as part of an early 18th-century French historical work, these engravings exemplify the Enlightenment approach to military history: educational, systematic, and visually restrained. Their calm monochrome palette and architectural rhythm make them particularly appealing for modern interiors, libraries, studies, and design-led spaces.
Condition: Good antique condition overall. Light age-related toning throughout, consistent with early 18th-century paper. Occasional faint foxing, minor edge wear, and soft handling marks visible upon close inspection. Plates show strong, crisp impressions. The set has been selected for visual consistency; no heavy staining or distracting discoloration.
Frame idea: see attached image sample showing the five prints in frame on a wall. Displayed here as a matched museum-style row in dark walnut frames with wide ivory mats, a presentation that emphasizes the engravings’ classical order and makes them ideal for refined libraries, studies, and design-led interiors. The engravings are offered unframed, enabling custom framing to personal or interior preferences.
