Antique View of the City of Marseille, Niebuhr Engraving, 1776
€ 340
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1776
Mapmaker / artist
Carsten Niebuhr; drawn by Baurenfeind, 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-14407-1-2
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. Handling soiling along the left and right edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. Folding plate, original folds as issued.
About this sheet
This is an original antique copper engraving from 1776, a wide view of the city of Marseille seen across its bay. The caption in the lower margin reads in Dutch GEZIGT der Stad MARSEILLE. and in French VÛE de la Ville de MARSEILLE., both meaning view of the city of Marseille.
The city lies across the water at the center, its houses climbing toward the hills, with a fortified building on a rise to the right of the town. A rocky headland with towers closes the view at the right. Square rigged ships flying flags ride in the bay, with smaller boats and rowing boats among them. At the left a rocky shore runs down to the water past small buildings and slopes dotted with houses and trees, and in the foreground a group of figures sits and stands on a rocky outcrop above the water.
The credits are lettered below the image: Baurenfeind, del: at the lower left and C. Philips, Jz: fecit. at the lower right. The plate number Tab: II. is engraved at the upper right.
The plate comes from the first volume of Voyage en Arabie & en d'autres Pays circonvoisins, the French translation of Carsten Niebuhr's account, its title page reading TOME PREMIER. Traduit de l'Allemand. A AMSTERDAM, chez S. J. BAALDE. A UTRECHT, chez J. VAN SCHOONHOVEN & COMP. 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 expedition's artist, Georg Wilhelm Baurenfeind, died at sea in 1763.
Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Handling soiling along the left and right edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. Folding plate, original folds as issued.
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.
