Sulina, Mouth of the Danube after W.H. Bartlett, Steel Engraving, circa 1844

About this sheet

A wide, still expanse of water at the mouth of the Danube, with the low settlement of Sulina strung along the horizon. Masted sailing ships ride at anchor near the town, a domed church stands at the center of the skyline, and a small steamer sends up a plume of smoke among the vessels. A heavy, slanting shower falls from the clouds at right.

In the foreground a long open boat, crowded with figures and carrying tall lateen yards, drifts on its reflection at left, and a single sailing boat lies off to the right. Tall reeds crowd the near shore, where three men are hidden among them, one of them aiming a gun at the skeins of wildfowl that stream across the sky. A few ducks float on the water in the middle ground.

The plate credits the drawing to William Henry Bartlett and the engraving to Robert Wallis, and is lettered in English and French. The design was published in William Beattie's The Danube, with views by Bartlett, issued by George Virtue in London in the 1840s. Sulina, at the end of the central channel of the delta, is the modern spelling of the place.

It is a steel engraving of delicate quality, with the calm water and the vast sky rendered in fine, even tones.

Its open, airy composition suits a bright room, a coastal home or a collection of river and harbor views, framed in pale wood.

Condition: Light wear to the bottom right and bottom left corners. Light age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. Printed image 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.