Mozart Monument in Salzburg, Antique Steel Engraving by A.H. Payne, circa 1850
€ 140
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
circa 1850
Mapmaker / artist
A.H. Payne (draftsman and engraver)
Publisher
Brain & Payne, London
Technique
Steel engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13194-1
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 handling wear to the bottom right and top right corners; minor nicks along the top and right edges. Even age toning. A few small foxing spots in the margin.
About this sheet
A full-length figure of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart stands on a stone plinth at the center of this steel engraving. He is shown as a statue: a long cloak gathered over one arm, a stylus in his right hand and a rolled sheet of music in his left, his face lifted and turned slightly away. Around him the engraver has built an allegorical frame of scrolling acanthus and vines. On the left a winged figure holds a lyre and two classical women clasp hands over a theatrical mask; on the right an eagle perches on a lyre while three young figures kneel and bend over a scroll. Small winged genii carry wreaths through the foliage above, and beneath the plinth a sun sets over still water between two grassy banks.
The statue follows the bronze Mozart monument by Ludwig Schwanthaler on Mozartplatz in Salzburg, unveiled in 1842, the first public monument to the composer in his native city. The plate is lettered "Mozart." in a fine copperplate script, with the credit "A.H. Payne del. et sc." placed in the grass at lower right, meaning that Albert Henry Payne both drew and engraved the design. The imprint reads "London, Brain & Payne, 12, Paternoster Row," the London publishing partnership associated with Payne in the middle of the nineteenth century.
It is a steel engraving, and the medium suits the subject: the folds of the cloak, the polished bronze and the soft clouds are built from dense, controlled lines and fine stipple, while the surrounding ornament is lighter and more open, so the figure reads clearly against its frame.
A natural choice for a music room, near a piano or among a collection of concert programs and scores, where a cream mat and a slim dark frame would show the fine linework.
Condition: Light handling wear to the bottom right and top right corners; minor nicks along the top and right edges. Even age toning. A few small foxing spots in the margin.
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.
