Coastal Views at Gibraltar and Ceuta, Antique Niebuhr Engraving, 1776
€ 210
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-14407-1-1
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. Marked handling soiling along the left, right and top edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Folding plate, original folds as issued.
About this sheet
This is an original antique copper engraving from 1776, a plate of two coastal views set one above the other. The caption in the lower margin is lettered in Dutch and French and keyed to the two views: A. Gezigt der Europische Kust by Gibraltar. and A. Vûe de la Côte de l'Europe près de Gibraltar., then B. Gezigt der Afrikasche Kust by Ceuta. and B. Vûe de la Côte de l'Afrique près de Ceuta. In English: A, view of the European coast near Gibraltar; B, view of the African coast near Ceuta.
The upper view, lettered A in the sky, shows a long line of hills running in from the left to the high rock at the right, with walls and buildings along its foot and ships under sail on the water before it. The lower view, lettered B, shows the African shore: a low line of white walls and buildings at the center, hills rising behind, and a large rocky headland at the right under a bank of cloud. Both views are drawn level with the sea, with broad skies of cloud above.
The credits are lettered under the lower corners of the image: Baurenfeind: del, at the left and C. Philips, Jz: sculp. at the right. The plate number Tab: I. 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. Marked handling soiling along the left, right and top edges. Scattered light foxing 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.
