Valletta from the Quarantine Harbor, Malta, Antique Steel Engraving, c. 1840
€ 210
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1840
Mapmaker / artist
Lt. Allen, Royal Engineers (artist), W. Wallis (engraver)
Publisher
Fisher, Son & Co., London and Paris
Technique
Steel engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13194-100
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 bottom left, top left and bottom right corners; minor nicks to the bottom edge. Age toning, darker at the edges; handling soiling along the edges and scattered foxing in the margins. Printed image clean.
About this sheet
A steel engraving of Valletta seen across the Quarantine Harbor, Malta, drawn by Lieutenant Allen of the Royal Engineers and engraved by W. Wallis.
The fortified city rises above its bastions on the far shore, crowded with houses and church towers and topped by a windmill. A tall ship lies at anchor beside smaller sailing craft, and in the foreground a Maltese boat with a striped awning is rowed across the calm water. A dark, broken sky gives the scene a sense of approaching weather.
The plate is lettered "Lt. Allen, Rl. Engineers" and "W. Wallis", with the title "Valetta, from the Quarantine Harbour. Malta.", an Italian caption "Valetta, dal Porto di Quarantina, Malta", and the imprint "Fisher, Son and Co. London and Paris". It is believed to come from Fisher's views of the shores and islands of the Mediterranean, published around 1840.
The Quarantine Harbor, now Marsamxett, lies on the north side of the Valletta peninsula, where ships arriving from plague ports were held. The drawing by a serving engineer officer gives the fortifications a careful accuracy.
A handsome piece for anyone with Maltese roots, and a good companion to other Mediterranean harbor views. The engraved image measures about 12.4 by 19.2 cm (height by width), and the margins around it carry all the original lettering, which is worth keeping visible in the mat.
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.
