Gaetano Cottafavi

The Pantheon in Rome: A 19th Century Etching by Cottafavi

1837

"Marine Chantier de Construction", plate VIII from the 18th century "Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers" (Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dict...

"Approach to the Fortress of Ibrim, Nubia" is a 19th century folio sized hand-colored lithograph from the Egypt and Nubia volume of David Roberts’ large folio edition, published in London by F. G. Moon in 1847. The lithographs were prepared by Louis Haghe (1806-1885) from drawings and paintings by Roberts. The resultant large folio editions of 'The Holy Land' and 'Egypt & Nubia' are considered the greatest lithographically illustrated works issued in the 19th century. The print is presented in a gold-colored wood frame with a decorative inner trim, with a cream-colored double mat. It is in excellent condition. The lithograph depicts the Fortress of Ibrim in Nubia in the background, which had been a Roman and an Egyptian fortification for centuries due to its strategic elevation, allowing a view of large portions of the surrounding desert. Men are securing the boat in the foreground for the night, taking down its sails. A herd of cattle drinks and cools themselves in the water on the left. There are four additional listings of David Roberts engravings of Egypt...

"A Dance in Otaheite" (Tahiti) is an engraving created by William Sharp (1749-1824), from a drawing by John Webber (1752-1793), who was the artist on Captain James Cook's 3rd and final voyage of discovery. It is a plate in the atlas of "A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean Undertaken by the Command of His Majesty, for Making Discoveries in the Northern Hemisphere", the official British Admirality sanctioned journal published upon completion of the voyage in London in 1784 by Strahan & Cadell. Two women and two men wearing ceremonial costumes, performing a dance outdoors standing on a mat. Three men are playing the drums in the background, in front of a thatched roof building. An audience of men are sitting on both sides of the stage. By the time Webber arrived in Tahiti, 'south sea' imagery had become familiar. Webber gave concentrated attention to dance. He had the opportunity to distinguish the Tahitian dance from the more formalized dancing of Tonga. Whereas they seem to have called to mind the more formal dances of antiquity, the Tahitian dancing aroused memories of peasant and folk dancing. This engraving is professionally framed in Koa wood. Koa wood is legendary in Hawaii. Not only is this amazing wood native to Hawaii, but it is known for the deep rich colors and varied grain pattern. Koa has an honored heritage in Hawaii and is highly revered and sacred. The word “koa” means “warrior” in Hawaiian. The warriors of King Kamehameha the Great, created canoes and weapons from a wood plentiful on the Big Island of Hawaii. This wood became synonymous with the warriors themselves, and it became known as koa. There are three other engravings listed from the official journal of Captain Cook's 3rd voyage available that are presented in identical Koa wood frames and double mats (LU117324682432, LU117324684052, LU117324684062). They would make a wonderful grouping for a display of 2, 3 or 4 prints. A discount is available for a grouping depending on the number of items included. Hawaii was discovered by Captain Cook during this voyage. Hawaii was originally called The Sandwich Islands in honor of The Earl of Sandwich...

A set of three hand-colored engravings from "Metropolitan Improvements; or London in the Nineteenth Century", published in London, England in 1828. The scenes were drawn by Thomas Ho...

"View Towards the Pyramids" is a 19th century full folio sized hand-colored lithograph by David Roberts from his monumental publication "The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia", published in London in 1846. It depicts a scene of a boat on the Nile, along with several smaller boats. Saccara (Saqqara), near Memphis, the original capital of Egypt, can be seen in the background with its ancient Step Pyramid of Pharoah Djoser. This was the first Egyptian pyramid, designed by the physician and architect Imhotep. Pharoah Snofru’s (Sneferu) failed design Bent Pyramid and the subsequent replacement Red Pyramid can be seen in Dashour (Dashur). These structures preceded the more famous pyramids in Giza. This lithograph is professionally framed in a gold-colored wood frame, double cream-colored mats and it is glazed with museum quality archival material. The print is in excellent condition. There are four additional listings of David Roberts engravings of Egypt...

This is an original 19th century hand-colored lithograph entitled "Approach of the Simoon, Desert of Gizeh" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, published in London by F. G. Moon in 1849. The lithographs were prepared by Louis Haghe (1806-1885) from drawings and paintings by Roberts. The resultant large folio editions of 'The Holy Land' and 'Egypt & Nubia' are considered the greatest lithographically illustrated works issued in the 19th century. This is the most famous and collectible of David Roberts' works, entitled "Approach of the Simoon, Desert of Gizeh". The scene captures the dramatic moment when a fierce sandstorm, known as a simoon, approaches a caravan traveling through the desert of Gizeh in Egypt. The scene is filled with swirling clouds of sand, which obscure the figures of the travelers and their camels. The sky is dark and ominous, with lightning bolts striking the ground in the distance. The figures in the foreground appear to be huddling together for protection, while one man in the center struggles to keep his turban from being blown away. Roberts' lithograph is particularly striking for its attention to detail and its use of light and shadow to create a sense of depth and atmosphere. The figures and camels in the foreground are rendered with great precision, while the distant landscape and stormy sky are suggested with broad, sweeping strokes. Overall, "Approach of the Simoon, Desert of Gizeh" is a powerful and evocative image of the harsh realities of life in the desert, and a testament to David Roberts' skill as an artist. This is the most well known and sought-after of all Roberts prints, as well as the most difficult to find and hence most expensive. This hand-colored lithograph is printed on wove paper with wide margins. The print is in excellent condition. It is presented in a gold-colored wood frame with a tan mat. It is glazed with UV conservation glass. All framing materials used are archival museum quality. The frame measures 23.75" high and 29" wide. There are two additional iconic David Roberts hand-colored lithographs for sale on 1stdibs that are matted and framed in identical styles, although slightly different sizes. They are scenes of Petra and the Citadel of Cairo. They can be viewed by typing their reference #'s, LU1173211969422 and LU1173211970142, into the 1stdibs search field or typing Timeless Intaglio in the search field and tapping on the drop down name to be taken to our storefront. Two or all three of these pieces would make for a striking display grouping. A discount is available for the purchase of multiple pieces. David Roberts (1796-1864) was a Scottish painter who specialized in landscapes, architectural subjects, and scenes from the Middle East and Europe. Born in Edinburgh, Roberts began his career at age ten as an apprentice to a house painter and eventually became a scene painter for theater companies in Edinburgh and London. In the 1820s, J. M. W. Turner recognized his artistic talent and encouraged him to become a full-time artist. He began to focus on painting landscapes and architecture. In 1838 he traveled to Egypt and soon after to the Holy Land, concluding in Jerusalem. Roberts' travels in the Middle East had a profound impact on his art, and he produced a series of highly detailed and realistic paintings and sketches of the region's famous ruins and other landmarks, including the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the Temple of Abu Simbel...

Edgar James Maybery The Harbour Lynmouth Antique Print 1920s Matt size 28cm x 33cm Image Size 14cm x 21 cm

Albert Ernst (1909 Fronhofen - 1996 Hamburg), View of a Coastal Town, etching, 30 x 37 cm (picture), 45 x 50.5 cm (frame), signed in pencil lower right "Albert Ernst", framed under g...

Max Clarenbach (1880 Neuss - Cologne 1952), Evening. Etching, 18 x 41 cm (platemark), 33.5 x 57 cm (frame), inscribed "Abend" in pencil at lower left, signed and dated "M. Clarenbach. 28.III.[19]09". Framed and mounted under glass. - Somewhat browned and slightly foxed. About the artwork The horizontally elongated etching depicts the panoramic view of a small town as seen from the other side of the river. There are gabled houses on the left and a mighty church spire on the right. The bourgeois houses and the large religious building indicate the urban character. These buildings are rendered in dark tones to emphasise the lighter row of houses in the centre of the picture, closer to the water. The chiaroscuro contrast creates two parallel planes that open up a space for the imagination of what the city could be. The imagination is stimulated by the almost entirely dark, barely recognisable buildings, while the arm of the river leading into the city further stimulates the imagination. However, as the silhouette of the city as a whole is reflected in the water, the parallel planes are perceived as a band of houses that stretches across the entire horizontality of the etching and seems to continue beyond the borders of the picture. The reflection has almost the same intensity as the houses themselves, so that the band of buildings merges with their reflection to form the dominant formal unit of the picture. Only the parallel horizontal hatching creates the convincing impression of seeing water, demonstrating Max Clarenbach's mastery of the etching needle. The water is completely motionless, the reflection unclouded by the slightest movement of the waves, creating a symmetry within the formal unity of the cityscape and its reflection that goes beyond the motif of a mere cityscape. A pictorial order is established that integrates everything in the picture and has a metaphysical character as a structure of order that transcends the individual things. This pictorial order is not only relevant in the pictorial world, but the picture itself reveals the order of the reality it depicts. Revealing the metaphysical order of reality in the structures of its visibility is what drives Clarenbach as an artist and motivates him to return to the same circle of motifs. The symmetry described is at the same time inherent an asymmetry that is a reflection on art: While the real cityscape is cut off at the top of the picture, two chimneys and above all the church tower are not visible, the reflection illustrates reality in its entirety. The reflection occupies a much larger space in the picture than reality itself. Since antiquity, art has been understood primarily as a reflection of reality, but here Clarenbach makes it clear that art is not a mere appearance, which can at best be a reflection of reality, but that art has the potential to reveal reality itself. The revealed structure of order is by no means purely formalistic; it appears at the same time as the mood of the landscape. The picture is filled with an almost sacred silence. Nothing in the picture evokes a sound, and there is complete stillness. There are no people in Clarenbach's landscape paintings to bring action into the picture. Not even we ourselves are assigned a viewing position in the picture, so that we do not become thematic subjects of action. Clarenbach also refrains from depicting technical achievements. The absence of man and technology creates an atmosphere of timelessness. Even if the specific date proves that Clarenbach is depicting something that happened before his eyes, without the date we would not be able to say which decade, or even which century, we are in. The motionless stillness, then, does not result in time being frozen in the picture, but rather in a timeless eternity that is nevertheless, as the title "Abend" (evening), added by Clarenbach himself, makes clear, a phenomenon of transition. The landscape of the stalls is about to be completely plunged into darkness, the buildings behind it only faintly discernible. The slightly darkened state of the sheet is in keeping with this transitional quality, which also lends the scene a sepia quality that underlines its timelessness. And yet the depiction is tied to a very specific time. Clarenbach dates the picture to the evening of 28 March 1909, which does not refer to the making of the etching, but to the capture of the landscape's essence in the landscape itself. If the real landscape is thus in a state of transition, and therefore something ephemeral, art reveals its true nature in that reality, subject to the flow of phenomena, is transferred to an eternal moment, subject to a supra-temporal structure of order - revealed by art. Despite this supratemporality, the picture also shows the harbingers of night as the coming darkening of the world, which gives the picture a deeply melancholy quality, enhanced by the browning of the leaf. It is the philosophical content and the lyrical-melancholic effect of the graphic that give it its enchanting power. Once we are immersed in the image, it literally takes a jerk to disengage from it. This etching, so characteristic of Max Clarenbach's art, is - not least because of its dimensions - a major work in his graphic oeuvre. About the artist Born into poverty and orphaned at an early age, the artistically gifted young Max Clarenbach was discovered by Andreas Achenbach and admitted to the Düsseldorf Art Academy at the age of 13. "Completely penniless, I worked for an uncle in a cardboard factory in the evenings to pay for my studies.” - Max Clarenbach At the academy he studied under Arthur Kampf, among others, and in 1897 was accepted into Eugen Dücker...

JOSEPH PENNELL (1857-1926) The Thames, 1894 Signed Aquatint Plate size 20.5 by 26.5 cm., 8 by 10 ½ in. (frame size 42 by 46 cm., 16 ½ by 18 in.) Pennell was born in Philadelphia where he studied at School of Industrial Art and the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1884 he was commissioned by the Century Magazine to supply a series of drawings of London...

Forest Road, paper, etching, 21.5x28.5 cm Piotr Petrovich Belousov (1912-1989) was a Soviet, Russian painter, graphic artist, art teacher, professor of the Leningrad Institute of Pa...

Old Town, paper, etching, 32x24.5 cm Piotr Petrovich Belousov (1912-1989) was a Soviet, Russian painter, graphic artist, art teacher, professor of the Leningrad Institute of Paintin...