Abu Simbel Temple Interior and Pyramids of Meroë, Antique Print, 1859
€ 340
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1859
Mapmaker / artist
Not named on the sheet
Publisher
Furne et Cie, Paris
Technique
Steel Engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-11494-15
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 left corner; minor nicks along the left edge. Even age toning, lightly soiled along the bottom, right and top edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin.
About this sheet
An original antique steel engraving, uncolored, with two Nile subjects, captioned "IBSAMPOUL" and "PYRAMIDES DE MÉROÉ". The large upper vignette looks down the pillared hall of the great rock temple at Abu Simbel, lettered with the old spelling Ibsampoul. Colossal standing figures with crossed arms and tall crowns line both sides, the ceiling is carved with patterns, and at the far end a doorway opens onto daylight and a seated figure. At the center a man holds up a flaming torch beside a robed and turbaned companion, and fallen fragments lie on the floor. The lower vignette shows a row of steep pyramids, many of them broken, along a low ridge, with a small line of pack animals and figures on the left.
The captions translate as Abu Simbel and Pyramids of Meroë. The publisher's line at the foot reads "Publié par Furne, à Paris" (Published by Furne, in Paris), and in small letters at the lower right corner of the lower image the printer's line reads "Imp. Delamain, 8, r. Git-le-Cœur, Paris." No artist or engraver is named.
The plate comes from Voyage en Asie et en Afrique by MM. Eyriès and Alfred Jacobs, published in Paris by Furne et Cie, éditeurs, of 45 rue Saint-André-des-Arts, with a title page dated M DCCC LIX (1859). The volume belongs to the Histoire générale des voyages, issued under the names of Dumont d'Urville, d'Orbigny, Eyriès and A. Jacobs, a French collection of travel accounts illustrated with steel engravings and captioned in French.
The torchlit interior is a dramatic subject for a collection on ancient Egypt and Nubia.
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.
