Bridge of Gondo, Simplon Pass, Antique Engraving after Birket Foster, circa 1878
€ 310
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1878
Mapmaker / artist
Birket Foster (artist), J. Stephenson (engraver)
Publisher
Cassell, Petter & Galpin, London
Technique
Steel engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13194-54
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 age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. Printed image clean.
About this sheet
A mountain road cuts through a sheer gorge, carried over a rushing torrent on a single stone arch before it disappears into a tunnel bored through the rock. Travelers cross the bridge above, and on the road in the foreground a mule train makes its way along: a loaded pack mule in the lead, another carrying baskets, a man leading a laden animal and a woman riding a mule, followed by goats and a dog. A toppled cart lies at the left beside the guard stones on the road's edge. The rock wall towers over everything, scattered with clinging pines, and a thin waterfall streams down the cliff at the right.
The Gondo gorge lies on the Simplon road between Switzerland and Italy, the route built across the Alps under Napoleon in the first years of the nineteenth century. The Gondo gallery, a tunnel blasted through solid rock, was one of the engineering wonders of the road and a favorite stop for travelers. The lettering credits Birket Foster as the painter and J. Stephenson as the engraver; the title is engraved in copperplate script with the imprint Cassell, Petter and Galpin, the London publisher, below.
This upright steel engraving makes the most of the gorge's height. The engraver models the cliff face with an intricate web of lines, sets the pale arch of the bridge against the dark tunnel mouth and shows the foaming water racing beneath it.
Alpine travelers and admirers of mountain roads will enjoy this; hang it on a tall, narrow wall in a study or a chalet-style room, in a plain dark frame.
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.
