Views of America · 19th century
€ 440
One of a kind: this is the sheet in the photographs. Ships from Langweer, the Netherlands.
Very good condition. Original hand-coloring intact with warm and natural tones. Light foxing and mild toning in the wide margins, not affecting the images. Plate mark clearly visible.
Hand-colored lithograph views of Huánuco & Huari, Peru – Plazas Mayores, 1865
This hand-colored lithograph sheet presents two important urban views from the central highlands of Peru: the Plaza Mayor de Huánuco and the Plaza Mayor de Huari. It was published in 1865 in Mariano Felipe Paz Soldán’s Atlas Geográfico del Perú, the first national atlas of the country, printed in Paris by the firm Lemercier.
The upper view depicts the Plaza Mayor de Huánuco, with its fountain at the center, flanked by colonial-style houses and the church crowned with domes and a tall bell tower. Figures in traditional attire populate the square, and the surrounding Andean mountains rise in the background, emphasizing the city’s setting within a dramatic landscape. This scene highlights Huánuco’s blend of Spanish colonial architecture and Andean environment, making it a key urban center of the central sierra.
The lower view shows the Plaza Mayor de Huari, a smaller but equally striking highland town plaza. A porticoed building with arched colonnades dominates one side, while long, low houses with tiled roofs enclose the other. The square is animated by groups of people and animals, providing a sense of daily life in the town. The steep mountains rising directly behind the plaza add to the dramatic setting and underline the isolation of such highland communities.
Together, these paired images provide a vivid record of 19th-century provincial Peru, preserving both the architectural features of regional plazas and their relationship with the surrounding Andean landscape. For collectors of Latin American prints and topographical views, this lithograph offers an excellent example of urban representation from Paz Soldán’s historic atlas.
Condition report:
Very good condition. Original hand-coloring intact with warm and natural tones. Light foxing and mild toning in the wide margins, not affecting the images. Plate mark clearly visible.
Framing tips:
This vertical double view is ideally framed to emphasize the contrast between the two plazas. A cream or ivory mat will complement the hand-coloring, while a dark wooden or black frame will give strong contrast. A thin inner mat in muted terracotta or ochre could highlight the earthy palette of the buildings and landscape.
Technique: Hand-colored lithograph with tint stone
Maker: Mariano Felipe Paz Soldán, Paris, 1865
