The Upper Bosphorus and Black Sea, Pair of Antique Views, circa 1850

About this sheet

This is an original set of two antique steel engravings from the second volume of The Turkish Empire Illustrated, published in London by Peter Jackson about 1850, sold together as a set and not available singly. The first sheet shows the broad meadow of Hunkiar Iskelesi opening to the Bosphorus, wooded ridges on both sides, tents and groups of figures and horses scattered across the valley floor and the water showing at the mouth of the glen. The second sheet shows the northern mouth of the Bosphorus seen from the height of the Giants Mountain, the two headlands closing in below, shipping standing out into the Black Sea beyond and a party of figures resting on the rocky foreground.

They are two original sheets sold together, and the set is never split. They come from the second volume of The Turkish Empire Illustrated, drawn from nature by Thomas Allom with descriptions by the Reverend Robert Walsh and published in London by Peter Jackson at the Caxton Press about 1850. Every sheet is a steel engraving of the same size, printed without color as issued, with the draftsman lettered at the lower left, the engraver at the lower right and the publisher's imprint beneath the title.

The treaty of Hunkiar Iskelesi was signed in this valley in 1833 and committed the Ottoman Empire to a defensive alliance with Russia, closing the Dardanelles to Russia's enemies and provoking one of the great diplomatic crises of the century. The engraved caption says so, which is unusual for a landscape plate. The Giants Mountain above Beykoz carries the grave attributed to Joshua and gives the classic view of the point where the strait meets the Black Sea. This is the northern limit of the volume's sweep, the opposite end of the waterway from the Sea of Marmora plates. A matched group hung together reads as one piece of furniture on a wall rather than as several small pictures, and because the sheets are the same size they frame identically and line up without compromise. Framed alike in plain dark moldings with equal mounts they suit a hall, a stair, a study or a dining room.

Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Marked handling soiling along the edges of both sheets. Light foxing in the margins of both sheets. All corners complete on every sheet.

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.