Great Mosque of Mecca with the Kaaba, Antique Steel Engraving, 1859
€ 490
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-11494-13
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
Complete sheet, minor nicks along the top edge. Even age toning, soiled along the bottom, left and right edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin.
About this sheet
An original antique steel engraving, uncolored, of the Great Mosque at Mecca, captioned "GRANDE MOSQUÉE DE LA MEKKE". The view is taken from above, looking into the vast rectangular courtyard enclosed on all sides by arcades with domed roofs, with tall slender minarets at the far corners and bare mountains beyond. At the center stands the Kaaba, a plain cube within a ring of posts, surrounded by smaller structures: domed buildings, an arched gateway, a stepped pulpit and open pavilions. Small figures of worshipers kneel, walk and pray across the paved court along dotted paths.
The caption translates as Great Mosque of Mecca. Below it the publisher's line reads "Publié par Furne, à Paris" (Published by Furne, in Paris), and in small letters at the lower right corner of the image the printer's line reads "Imp. Delamain, 8, r. Git-le-Cœur, Paris." No artist or engraver is named.
It was issued in Voyage en Asie et en Afrique, written by MM. Eyriès and Alfred Jacobs and published in Paris in 1859 by Furne et Cie, éditeurs, 45 rue Saint-André-des-Arts. The book forms part of the Histoire générale des voyages of Dumont d'Urville, d'Orbigny, Eyriès and A. Jacobs, which presented the voyages and travels of the period to French readers, with plates engraved on steel and printed on separate leaves.
Nineteenth century views of the sanctuary at Mecca are of interest to collectors of Islamic subjects and of Arabia.
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.
