Set of Two Original Antique Engravings of Peru by C.T. Middleton, 1778
€ 349
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1778
Sheet size
35.8 × 22.3 cm (14.1 × 8.8 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14303-20 & BG-14303-21
Condition
Good condition considering their age. General age-related toning, scattered foxing, original folds and minor wear and irregularities along the sheet edges. Please review the images for further condition details.
About this sheet
Two Peruvian subjects from Charles Theodore Middleton's A New and Complete System of Geography, an original matched pair of copperplate engravings published in London in 1778 for J. Cooke. Each is sold as one of a set of two plates, with a matching ornamental border and an oval cartouche at the top reading "Engraved for Middleton's Complete System of Geography."
The first plate, "Tarabites or Peruvian Rope Bridges", shows a rocky gorge crossed by several ropes. A house stands on the cliff at the left, travelers and animals cross on the ropes, and others wait on the near bank, with clouds above. The second, "Various Boats, Barks &c. used in the Rivers and on the Coasts of Peru in South America", shows a large sailing raft with a mat sail and a figure standing on it, and smaller round and rimmed boats around it, beneath rocky headlands and a cloudy sky.
Both are framed by tall pilasters hung with floral festoons, and urns and garlands. The two plates illustrate methods of crossing rivers and traveling on the coast in Peru, as described for English readers of the geography.
