The Holstein Gate, Lubeck, Antique Steel Engraving after Carl Werner, circa 1885
€ 360
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1885
Mapmaker / artist
C. Werner (artist), J. Godfrey (engraver)
Publisher
Cassell & Company, Limited, London
Technique
Steel engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13194-89
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 age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. Printed image clean.
About this sheet
A grand frontal view of the Holstein Gate at Lübeck, its two round towers with tall conical roofs flanking a stepped central gable and a deep arched gateway. Behind it the twin spires of the great brick church of St. Mary rise high above the old town, with a ship's mast and sail visible among the gabled houses at left.
A broad, rutted road leads straight to the gate, and the foreground is full of life: market women sit under large umbrellas with baskets of produce at right, neighbors gather around a low wall at left, and a girl with a basket walks toward the viewer.
The Holstentor, built in the fifteenth century, was the western gate of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck and is today the emblem of the city. The plate is lettered "The Holstein Gate, Lubeck." and credits the painter C. Werner (Carl Werner), whose signature also appears in the image at lower left, and the engraver J. Godfrey. The imprint is "Cassell & Company, Limited.", the London house of Cassell under the name it used from the 1880s.
This is a steel engraving with a clear, bright tonality. The brickwork and ornament of the gate are picked out in fine detail, and the open sky, lightly engraved with drifting cloud and birds, gives the composition a spacious, airy feel.
Its upright format and strong central subject make it an ideal piece to hang alone on a narrow wall or above a small table.
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.
