Basle (Basel), Switzerland, Rhine View, Antique Steel Engraving, circa 1865
€ 200
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1865
Mapmaker / artist
B. Foster (artist), E. I. Roberts (engraver)
Publisher
William Mackenzie, London, Edinburgh and Glasgow
Technique
Steel engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14391-20
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
Good condition for its age. Toning, small spots to the left margin, light staining and a diagonal crease at the upper right corner, all in the margins. The image is clean. Please review the images for further condition details.
About this sheet
An original nineteenth century steel engraving of Basel seen across the Rhine, lettered with the old English spelling "Basle", with the credits "B. Foster" at lower left and "E. I. Roberts" at lower right, and the imprint "William Mackenzie, London, Edinburgh and Glasgow" (lettered with an ampersand).
The view is taken from the bank of Kleinbasel. At the left a stone house and tall poplars stand above a path where figures rest beside piled timber, and in the foreground fishermen work from long flat boats, one casting a net, among logs floating at the water's edge. Across the broad river the old bridge, the Mittlere Brucke, stretches in a long line of arches, and above it rise the roofs of Grossbasel, the twin towered red sandstone Minster on its terrace at the left and another church spire to the right, under a dramatic sky of piled clouds.
Basel stands where the Rhine turns north toward Germany and France, and for nineteenth century travelers it was the gateway between Switzerland and the Rhine valley. The medieval bridge shown here was for centuries the only crossing of the river in the city.
B. Foster is the signature of Myles Birket Foster, one of the most popular illustrators of the Victorian era, and the engraver E. I. Roberts is Edward John Roberts, a London steel engraver of landscape plates. William Mackenzie of Glasgow issued illustrated books in parts for a wide subscribing public. The plate carries no date and the book has not been identified, so it is dated circa 1865 from the imprint and style.
The engraving is finely worked, with silvery water, a richly modeled sky and lively figures. It would make an appealing gift for anyone with a connection to Basel or Switzerland and would suit a study, a hallway or a collection of Rhine views.
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.
