Fish Market, Rotterdam after J.M.W. Turner, Antique Engraving, circa 1845

€ 190

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

Date: circa 1845
Mapmaker / artist: J.M.W. Turner (artist), W. Floyd (engraver)
Publisher: Simpkin & Marshall and the Proprietor, London
Technique: Steel engraving
Coloring: Uncolored
Condition: Good
Reference: BG-13194-121

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 right corner. Light age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. Printed image clean.

About this sheet

A steel engraving of the fish market at Rotterdam, "from an original drawing by J.M.W. Turner, R.A.", engraved by W. Floyd.

Market women in white caps crowd the quayside, bent over baskets and piles of fish, while boats with furled sails lie alongside. Behind them a misty city rises in Turner's typical haze of light: the tall square tower of St. Lawrence at left, a slender spire, and two domed towers to the right. Large fish and wicker baskets fill the foreground.

The plate is lettered "Fish Market, Rotterdam", "From an Original Drawing by J.M.W. Turner, R.A." and "Engraved by W. Floyd", with the imprint "London, Simpkin and Marshall, Stationers Court, and the Proprietor, 1. Cloudesley Terrace, Islington". The Victoria and Albert Museum holds an impression of the same plate. The year of issue is not printed and is given as circa 1845.

Turner visited the Low Countries several times and made many drawings of Rotterdam's harbor life. The engraving keeps the atmospheric light of his watercolors.

William Floyd was a skilled landscape engraver who also cut plates after Allom and Bartlett, and here he renders Turner's light with a fine net of lines rather than strong contrasts, so the distant towers seem to dissolve in the haze.

A spirited scene for a kitchen, dining room or any collection of Turner prints. The engraved image measures about 10.6 by 15.1 cm (height by width), and the margins around it carry all the original lettering, which is worth keeping visible in the mat.

Condition: Light wear to the bottom right corner. 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.