Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10

Sacrifice Offered to the Sun – Antique Engraving, Upper Egypt, c.1790

$346.19
£255.05
€290
CA$476.47
A$528.72
CHF 278.89
MX$6,454.50
NOK 3,528.44
SEK 3,304.67
DKK 2,207.50

About the Item

Sacrifice Offered to the Sun – Antique Engraving, Upper Egypt, c.1790 This 18th-century copperplate engraving, titled *Sacrifice Offert au Soleil*, presents a striking scene carved on the mountain of Babain in Upper Egypt, approximately 35 leagues from Cairo. The image shows a rock-cut chamber, its arched opening surrounded by rough, textured stone. Inside, priests and attendants stand before a radiant solar disk, rendered with long, symmetrical rays and a central face symbolizing the sun. The figures are dressed in long robes, some wearing pointed headdresses, and are shown making offerings or gestures of reverence. Birds and symbolic objects appear in the background, reinforcing the ceremonial atmosphere. The inscription above notes that the scene is based on an ancient carving (*Il est gravé sur la Montagne de Babain dans la haute Égypte*), likely recorded during an 18th-century European expedition to document Egyptian antiquities. This plate belongs to “Tome 3, N° 7” of a larger series and is signed *Porlier fecit*, identifying the engraver. Such plates were often included in Enlightenment-era travel and archaeological publications, where artists aimed to preserve the appearance of ancient monuments and rituals for a European readership fascinated by Egypt’s history and religion. The subject reflects the importance of solar worship in ancient Egyptian culture, where the sun god (Ra or Amun-Ra) was a central figure in cosmology, kingship, and daily life. European illustrators of the period often combined archaeological observation with stylized artistic conventions, making such engravings valuable both as historical records and as examples of 18th-century graphic art. Collectors of Egyptology, early archaeology, or the history of religion will find this piece an evocative representation of one of humanity’s oldest and most universal forms of worship. Condition: Good for age, with a central fold as issued. Minor toning and light foxing at the margins. Plate impression strong with fine detail preserved in both figures and textures. Framing tips: A black or dark walnut frame with a warm ivory mount would highlight the engraving’s contrast and detail. A double mount with a thin inner gold line could subtly echo the solar theme. Technique: Copperplate engraving Maker: Porlier fecit, French school, c.1790
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 6.38 in (16.2 cm)Width: 9.73 in (24.7 cm)Depth: 0.01 in (0.2 mm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Paper,Engraved
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1790
  • Condition:
    Condition: Good for age, with a central fold as issued. Minor toning and light foxing at the margins. Plate impression strong with fine detail preserved in both figures and textures.
  • Seller Location:
    Langweer, NL
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: BG-14078-241stDibs: LU3054346216752

More From This Seller

View All
Antique Print of the Floridians Sacrificing to the Sun by B. Picart, 1721
Located in Langweer, NL
Two images on one sheet. Top image: "Sacrifice que les Floridiens sont au Soleil, de leurs Premiers nez." Lower image: "Ofrande que les Floridiens sont d'un Cerf au soleil." This ...
Category

Antique Early 18th Century Prints

Materials

Paper

South Gate of Antinoë – Architectural Engraving, Upper Egypt, c.1790
Located in Langweer, NL
South Gate of Antinoë – Architectural Engraving, Upper Egypt, c.1790 This finely detailed 18th-century copperplate engraving depicts the *Porte du Midi de la Ville d’Antinoë* (South...
Category

Antique Late 18th Century French Maps

Materials

Paper

Antique Map of the Pyramids of Saqqara and Dahshur – Egypt, c.1770s
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique Map of the Pyramids of Saqqara and Dahshur – Egypt, c.1710s Description: This rare early 18th-century engraving presents a bird’s-eye topographic plan of the pyramids of Saq...
Category

Antique Late 18th Century Dutch Prints

Materials

Paper

rocession of Deities Through the Countryside – Engraving after Sonnerat, 1806
Located in Langweer, NL
Procession of Deities Through the Countryside – Engraving after Sonnerat, 1806 This detailed antique engraving depicts a ceremonial procession titled “Chasse des Dieux dans les Camp...
Category

Antique Early 1800s French Prints

Materials

Paper

Temple Gallery at Gau and Rock Tomb near Hajar Silsila – Egypt Engraving, 1776
Located in Langweer, NL
Title: Temple Gallery at Gau and Rock Tomb near Hajar Silsila – Egypt Engraving, 1776 Description: This antique engraving from 1776 illustrates architectural elements of a temple ga...
Category

Antique Late 18th Century Dutch Prints

Materials

Paper

Ceremonial Rites: A Human Sacrifice in Otaheite (Tahiti), 1801
Located in Langweer, NL
The title for the provided engraving could be "Ceremonial Rites: A Human Sacrifice in Otaheite," capturing the gravity of the depicted event. This print likely illustrates a solemn a...
Category

Antique Early 1800s Prints

Materials

Paper

You May Also Like

In Honour of the Sun God - Etching by G. Pivati - 1746/1751
By Gianfrancesco Pivati
Located in Roma, IT
Image dimensions: 25.5 x 18 cm. In honour of the Sun God is a fine etching, hand-watercolored, realized by the engraver Gianfrancesco Pivati. This original print, representing the...
Category

1740s Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Egyptian Deities And Exotic Animals - Etching - 18th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Egyptian Deities And Exotic Animals from "Antiquities of Herculaneum" is an etching on paper realized by Various Authors in the 18th Century. Good condi...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Jacques-Philippe Le Bas "The Illumination" Engraving 18th Century
By Jacques-Philippe Le Bas
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Interesting engraving by Jacques-Philippe Le Bas depicts the illuminations set up on the evening of 29 August 1739 at the crossroads of St Denys and La Ferronnerie for the wedding of...
Category

Antique 18th Century European Prints

Materials

Paper

Offers and Sacrifices to the Sun among the Floridians - by G. Pivati - 1746-1751
By Gianfrancesco Pivati
Located in Roma, IT
Offers and Sacrifices to the Sun, among the Floridians is a fine etching, hand-watercolored, realized by the engraver Gianfrancesco Pivati. This original print, representing the hum...
Category

1740s Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Sacrifices Among the Natives - Original Color Etching by G. Pivati - 1746-1751
By Gianfrancesco Pivati
Located in Roma, IT
Sacrifices among the natives - From “New Scientific and Curious Dictionnary concerning the Sacred and the Profane Etchings, Hand-Watercoloured. Tom.VII, Plate XIV Image Dim: cm 25....
Category

1740s Old Masters Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Temple at Esne, Egypt. Engraving from Napoleon's Description of Egypt, 1820
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
'Vue perspective du temple au nord d' Esnee' Engraving by Rousseau and Lorieux after Devilliers and Jollois, 1820. View of the temple to the north of Esne. From Napoleon's Descript...
Category

Mid-19th Century Victorian Landscape Prints

Materials

Engraving