Pilgrims Bathing in the Sacred Ganges River, Antique Steel Engraving, 1859
€ 220
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1859
Mapmaker / artist
Published by Gebroeders Kraay
Publisher
Gebroeders Kraay, Amsterdam
Technique
Steel Engraving
Coloring
Uncolored
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-00114-2
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; edges straight and without nicks. Even age toning, lightly soiled along the bottom, right and top edges. No foxing noted in the margins.
About this sheet
An original antique steel engraving, uncolored, titled "DE HEILIGE GANGES RIVIER." A broad, calm river winds toward the viewer from a valley closed by a pale mountain, between banks thick with tall, feathery trees. On a rocky ledge at the left a crowd of pilgrims in long robes gathers at the water's edge, some standing on the rocks above, while women carrying water jars on their heads descend the bank below them and the heads of bathers break the surface of the river. Two riders on horseback wade across in midstream, a lone figure sits at the water's edge below the far bank, and a few figures walk among the trees and houses on the opposite shore. A spreading shrub occupies the right foreground.
The plate is lettered below the image in Dutch: "DE HEILIGE GANGES RIVIER.", which translates as "The Holy Ganges River". Beneath the caption, in a small script, is the publisher's imprint "Uitg. Gebrs Kraaÿ, Amsterdam.", short for uitgegeven (published) by the Kraay brothers of Amsterdam. No artist or engraver is named on the plate.
It was issued in 1859 in A. van Otterloo's Britsch-Indië, beschreven naar de nieuwste bronnen, published in Amsterdam by Gebroeders Kraay as the opening volume of their series Vreemde Landen en Volken (Foreign Lands and Peoples). The title page describes the book as illustrated with twenty-four steel engravings and a map, and each view carries its own Dutch caption and the Kraay imprint.
The Ganges is the most sacred river of Hinduism, and bathing in its waters has long been an act of devotion. The gentle river landscape with its many small figures makes a quiet picture for a study, a reading corner or a group of Indian views.
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.
