Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, Antique Steel Engraving after T. Allom, circa 1850
€ 130
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1850
Mapmaker / artist
Thomas Allom (artist), J.H. Le Keux (engraver)
Publisher
Not named on the sheet
Technique
Steel engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13194-110
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 left, bottom left and bottom right corners; minor nicks to the bottom edge. Light age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. Printed image clean.
About this sheet
A fine steel engraving of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, seen from across the Seine. The two square west towers rise at left, and the long body of the cathedral stretches to the right, with the great rose window of the south transept, the forest of flying buttresses around the apse and the steep roof. No central spire crowns the crossing, which places the drawing before the restoration of the mid nineteenth century.
The river in the foreground is crowded with long covered washhouse boats moored along the bank, smoke rising from their chimneys and laundry hanging in rows. A stone bridge crosses the river at left, a barge passes under the quay wall, and on the parapet at right a woman in a tall white cap and a man in a broad hat stand looking out over the water.
The plate was drawn by Thomas Allom and engraved by J.H. Le Keux, one of the most accomplished architectural engravers of his day. The script title reads "Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris." No publisher's imprint appears on the sheet.
The technique is steel engraving of a high order: the tracery of the rose window and the buttresses is drawn with great precision, the stone of the quay in close horizontal lines, and the sky in delicate ruled tones. The printed image is clean.
For anyone who loves Notre Dame, this early view of the cathedral and its working river makes a meaningful piece for a study or a bedroom, framed simply in black or dark walnut.
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.
