Antique Print of a Gathering Around a Fire in Virginia by B. Picart, 1721

Religion · 18th century

Antique Print of a Gathering Around a Fire in Virginia by B. Picart, 1721

€ 100

Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)

Date: 1721
Sheet size: 39.6 × 24.6 cm (15.6 × 9.7 in)
Condition: Good
Reference: BGI-01137

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

Please review the images for further condition details.

About this sheet

Virginia Indians at a fire, an engraving by Bernard Picart dated 1721 in the listing, from the Dutch edition (1727-1738) of "Naaukeurige beschryving der godtsdienst-plichten, kerk-zeden en gewoontens van alle volkeren der waereldt". The caption, in French, reads "Les Virginiens adorent le Feu, et se rejouissent après avoir été délivrez de quelque danger considerable", and the sheet is credited "B. Picart" at the lower left.

Figures sit and crouch in a ring around a blazing fire on open ground, several of them holding rattles and raising their arms, while two others dance at the right. A column of smoke rises to a heavy sky, and canoes and other boats are on the broad river behind them, with a flat far shore. The plate is a single full-page view, with a bank and a bare tree at the right edge.

The plate belongs to Picart's survey of the religious ceremonies and customs of all nations, first issued in French between 1721 and 1725, the most elaborate history of world religion up to that time. It was adapted from earlier sources, including de Bry's illustrations of the Virginia colony, and shows Native custom as seen through European conventions.