Distant View of Mafra and Sintra, Peninsular War, Antique Engraving, circa 1817

About this sheet

This antique engraving titled "Distant view of Mafra and the mountains of Cintra" shows the great palace convent of Mafra in Portugal with troops marching along a winding road, an early nineteenth century Peninsular War view published in London by Thomas Kelly. It is signed "Heath, sculp." and carries the imprint "London, Published by Thomas Kelly Paternoster Row", with a date that appears to read March 1817, although the figures are faint.

Mafra, north west of Lisbon, is dominated by the vast baroque palace, basilica and convent built for King John the Fifth in the eighteenth century, while the hills of Sintra, spelled Cintra in the British usage of the time, rise to the south. During the Peninsular War the country between Lisbon and these hills was crossed repeatedly by British, Portuguese and French forces, and the column of soldiers winding towards the palace in this plate places the view firmly in that period of campaigning.

Thomas Kelly published several Portuguese and Spanish views dated 1817, including Punhete, Salamanca and the bridge over the Nissa, and these are probably plates from a Kelly history of the Peninsular War or of the wars against Napoleon issued in parts. The exact title has not been verified, so the plate is described here as published by Kelly. The engraver is lettered only as Heath. It is an uncoloured line engraving with a fine sense of distance in the landscape.

This Mafra engraving will appeal to collectors of Portuguese topography, Peninsular War history and Wellington's campaigns. It would look well in a dark wood frame with an ivory mount, and would form an attractive set with the other 1817 Peninsular views from this folio.

The sheet is in good condition for its age, with light toning and a few faint spots in the margins; the image itself is clean.

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.