Rock in the Plain of Warsan and the Valley of Israitu, Niebuhr, 1776
€ 295
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1776
Mapmaker / artist
Carsten Niebuhr; engraved by C. Philips Jz.
Publisher
S. J. Baalde, Amsterdam, and J. van Schoonhoven and Comp., Utrecht
Technique
Copper engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14407-1-43
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 uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Marked handling soiling along all four edges. Foxing over much of the margin. Slight wear at the bottom left and bottom right corners. Minor edge wear, shallow nicks along the bottom.
About this sheet
This is an original antique copper engraving from 1776, plate XLIII of the first volume of Carsten Niebuhr's Voyage en Arabie. It carries two views, each with its own caption. The upper reads Gezigt van eene Rots in de Vlakte Warsân. and Vue d'un Rocher dans la Plaine Warsân., a view of a rock in the plain of Warsan. The lower reads Gezigt in het Dal Israitu. and Vue dans la Vallée Israitu., a view in the valley of Israitu.
The upper view shows a great layered rock rising from a flat plain at the left, its ledges overhanging at the base, with small trees scattered across the ground and two tiny figures in front of it. At the right a small group of men, two standing and one seated on the ground, rests under a leafy tree in the foreground. The lower view looks along a valley between steep rocky slopes, with a row of pointed peaks in the distance and trees spread over the valley floor. A tall tree rises in the left foreground. In the center foreground two men on foot, both carrying staffs, lead a camel toward the left, and two more small figures walk further up the valley.
The lower right margin is lettered C. Philips Jz: sculp. for the engraver, and the plate number Tab: XLIII. is engraved at the upper right.
The plate belongs to the first volume of Niebuhr's Voyage en Arabie & en d'autres Pays circonvoisins, marked TOME PREMIER and Traduit de l'Allemand on its title page, which carries the imprint of S. J. Baalde at Amsterdam and J. van Schoonhoven and Comp. at Utrecht and the date MDCCLXXVI. 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.
Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Marked handling soiling along all four edges. Foxing over much of the margin. Slight wear at the bottom left and bottom right corners. Minor edge wear, shallow nicks along the bottom.
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.
