Königstein with Castle Ruin, Antique Steel Engraving after Fussell, circa 1840
€ 140
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1840
Mapmaker / artist
Fussell (artist), Hill (engraver)
Publisher
Black & Armstrong, London
Technique
Steel engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Fair
Reference
BG-13194-83
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 wear to the top right, top left and bottom left corners. Age toning, darker at the edges; handling soiling along the edges and scattered foxing in the margins. Printed image clean.
About this sheet
A romantic landscape at Königstein, with the ruined castle rising on its hill at the center under a dark, stormy sky split by a bolt of lightning. Below the ruin a village of steep roofs and smoking chimneys nestles among trees, and tall poplars bend in the wind at right.
The foreground is given over to a pastoral scene: a flock of sheep grazes on a rough, open bank, a shepherd stands watching in the middle distance, and at right a young woman in a hood talks with a seated man and his dog. Fallen timber and broken ground lead the eye into the picture.
The sheet is lettered "KEONIGSTEIN.", an English engraver's spelling of Königstein, with the drawing credited to Fussell at lower left and the engraving to Hill at lower right. The imprint of Black & Armstrong of London appears beneath the title. The combination of a ruin, a storm and a pastoral scene is typical of the picturesque views of German scenery that London publishers issued for English travelers in the years around 1840.
This is a steel engraving of small format and fine detail, the sheep and figures delicately drawn and the storm built from dense, dark hatching that sets off the pale stone of the ruin.
A charming small picture for a cozy corner, a bedroom or a bookshelf display, framed in gilt or dark wood.
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.
