Copper Engraving with a Panoramic View of Mexico City, 1754
€ 550
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1754
Sheet size
25.7 × 35.1 cm (10.1 × 13.8 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
PCT-56658
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
Given age. Original middle fold, as issued. Browned to the right of the middle fold. A small stain in the lower margin. Some creasing in the margins (well outside image).
About this sheet
Nouveau Mexico, a copper engraving with a panoramic view of Mexico City, 1754, from the Abbé Prévost's Histoire générale des voyages, engraved by Chedel. The title is lettered on a curling banner across the sky, the plate is set within a ruled double border, and "Tom. XII. N°. VI." is printed at the lower right.
The viewpoint is a rise above the city, looking out across a densely built grid of blocks and streets, among them gardens and trees. A long arched aqueduct or causeway crosses the left foreground, and beyond the city lies the lake, with small sailing boats and a distant range of cloud-capped mountains. In the foreground a group of travelers with a laden mule follows a path near a church with a steep roof, and palms rise at the right. A boat with figures is drawn at the lower left. The rows of low buildings and the water around the city recall the lake setting of Mexico City.
Pierre Quentin Chedel (1705 to 1763) was a French etcher and engraver. Prévost's Histoire générale des voyages, a vast collection of travel accounts begun in 1746, was continued by other authors after his death and illustrated with engraved maps and views like this one.
