The Great Mosque of Delhi with an Elephant Procession, 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-00114-7
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 top left and bottom left corners; minor nicks along the top edge. Even age toning, lightly soiled along the left and right edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin.
About this sheet
An original antique steel engraving, uncolored, titled "HOOFD-MOSKEE TE DELHI." A monumental gateway with a deep pointed arch, carved panels and small domed turrets rises at the top of a broad flight of steps, flanked by long arcaded wings, a domed pavilion at the left and a tall minaret at the right. People climb and descend the steps and stand in the doorways. Across the open ground in front passes a lively procession: horsemen with pennants on their lances, men on foot with spears, an elephant carrying a canopied howdah, and at the right bearers carrying a curved palanquin, followed by a water carrier with pots slung from a pole. A tree and the flat roofs of the town appear at the far left.
The plate is lettered below the image in Dutch: "HOOFD-MOSKEE TE DELHI.", which translates as "Main mosque at Delhi". 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.
The plate comes from Britsch-Indië, beschreven naar de nieuwste bronnen (British India, described from the newest sources) by A. van Otterloo, published in Amsterdam by Gebroeders Kraay in 1859. The book is the first part, or Eerste Deel, of the publisher's series Vreemde Landen en Volken (Foreign Lands and Peoples), and its title page announces twenty-four steel engravings and a map. Steel plates held fine, even lines through long print runs, which suited illustrated books of this kind.
Delhi was the seat of the Mughal emperors, and processions with elephants and palanquins were a favorite subject of European views of India. The busy procession and the crisp architecture make this one of the liveliest views from the book.
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.
