Dance of California Indians, Tower of Tlaxcallan – Hand-Colored Engraving, c1800

€ 240

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

Sheet size: 25 × 16.2 cm (9.8 × 6.4 in)
Condition: Good
Reference: BG-14129-8

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

Good antique condition. Even age toning with scattered foxing and light surface marks, mostly in the margins. The hand coloring remains fresh and attractive. The engraved image is crisp, with a visible plate mark. Minor edge wear consistent with age.

About this sheet

Dance of California Indians above the tower of an ancient American city, a hand-colored copper engraving from a German work, headed "Nord Amerika," "Taf. 18" and "II. Bd. I. Abth." The two captions read "Tanz der Indianer auf Californien" and "Thurm der altamerikanischen Stadt Tlapallan."

The upper scene shows six men dancing in a line across a clearing, linked hand to hand. They wear feather headdresses, bead collars and short waist cloths colored in red, yellow, pink and blue, and palm trees and low huts stand behind them. In the lower view, a stepped tower of three tiers with arched openings rises above a grassy foreground, with trees at either side, and a tiny figure walks a path at the lower right under a cloudy sky.

The plate numbering shows that it was issued in a German multi-volume survey of the peoples and monuments of the world, with the Americas as one section. Such works pair costume and custom with architecture from Europe's picture of the ancient New World.