Ruins of Palmyra, Syria, Antique Steel Engraving, 1859
€ 260
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-11494-10
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, edges straight and without nicks. Even age toning, lightly soiled along the bottom, left and right edges. A few small foxing spots and one larger brown spot in the margin.
About this sheet
An original antique steel engraving, uncolored, of the ruins of Palmyra in the Syrian desert, captioned "RUINES DE PALMYRE". Long lines of standing columns stretch across a flat plain toward distant hills, broken by a temple front with columns in the middle distance and by tall single columns and fragments of walls along the horizon. On the right a single tall column with an elaborate capital still stands, trailing a vine, while the foreground is strewn with fallen drums, capitals, carved blocks and a doorway. A few riders cross the open ground, a pair of figures stands near a horseman at the center, and a man sits among the stones on the right. A great sky of drifting clouds and a few birds fills most of the plate.
The caption translates as Ruins of Palmyra. 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.
The ancient city has been widely damaged in recent years, which gives nineteenth century views of it particular interest for collectors of the Near East.
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.
