Sun Worship Rituals of the Floridians Depicted in Sacrificial Ceremonies, 1734

€ 230

Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)

Date: 1734
Sheet size: 42 × 26 cm (16.5 × 10.2 in)
Reference: BG-13806-72

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

Very good. Plate marks are strong and clear. Slight age toning to the outer margins and minor edge wear, including a small nick to the upper right edge, not affecting the printed area. The laid paper remains clean, with fine, sharp detail.

About this sheet

Sun worship of the Floridians, a copperplate engraving of 1734 from Les Cérémonies et Coutumes Religieuses de tous les Peuples du Monde, engraved by Bernard Picart. Two scenes appear on one sheet.

The upper scene is lettered "Sacrifice que les Floridiens font au Soleil, de leurs Premiers nez". Dancers in grass skirts circle a stump in a clearing beneath a rock outcrop and a palm tree, while a seated chief and a line of standing men look on. The lower scene, "Offrande que les Floridiens font d'un Cerf au Soleil", shows kneeling worshippers with raised arms around a tall pole bearing a stag's hide, with rays of the sun breaking across the sky and a steep rocky hill behind.

The pictures follow the French accounts of the Native peoples of Florida in the sixteenth century, here recast by the engraver in the theatrical style of the book.