Demetrios Ypsilantis and Bouboulina, Greek Independence Heroes, 1842

About this sheet

An original antique lithograph with hand coloring, from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The upper image is a half length portrait in profile, facing left, of a man with a long mustache and long dark hair, wearing a striped turban of white, yellow and red, a white shirt with gold embroidery at the neck, and a crimson vest over a striped coat. The lower image shows a young woman in a long white dress with a dark corded belt standing on a rocky headland above the sea, one hand raised to her forehead, a red cloth falling at her side. Spiky plants grow on the rocks at left, and sailing ships are visible on the horizon under a cloudy sky.

The top margin is lettered "Tom IV" at upper left, "GRECIA" at center and "Tav 155" at upper right. The captions read "Demetrio Ipsilanti" (Demetrios Ypsilantis) and "Bobólina" (Bouboulina).

Demetrios Ypsilantis was a commander in the Greek War of Independence that began in 1821. Laskarina Bouboulina, from the island of Spetses, fitted out ships at her own expense and commanded them in the same war; she died in 1825. The war ended with the recognition of an independent Greek kingdom in 1832, ten years before this volume was published.

The portrait and the lone figure by the sea make a quiet, dignified plate for a collection on modern Greece or on the age of romantic philhellenism.

Condition: 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.