Capsizing Warships – Hand-Colored Etching of Schouten’s East Indian Voyage, 1676

Six Galleys Sunk by the Dutch Fleet in 1602: A Dramatic Naval Victory by Simon Fokke This powerful 18th-century engraving by Simon Fokke (1712–1780) captures the dramatic naval ba...

Combat Naval dans le Golfe de Venise – Rare Optical Print of the Venetian Victory over the Turks, circa 1770 This rare and vividly hand-colored 18th-century 'vue d’optique' titled 'Combat naval dans le Golfe de Venise gagné par les Vénitiens sur les Turcs le 29 may 1749' portrays the dramatic naval engagement between Venetian and Ottoman forces in the Gulf of Venice. Published anonymously around 1770 and engraved with both French and contemporary Dutch captions, this optical print commemorates the final large-scale clashes between two former Mediterranean naval superpowers. The scene is packed with explosive detail. On the left, Venetian galleons fly red flags and dominate the composition, their cannon smoke billowing across the water. Soldiers and sailors tumble into the sea or scramble into longboats, while others engage in intense shipboard combat. To the right, the Ottoman fleet, also with full sails and ornate sterns, exchanges fire from a line of vessels that extends toward the hazy horizon. The turbulent sea, streaked with swimmers, debris, and gunfire, draws the viewer's eye toward the vanishing point, a classic technique in *vues d’optique* designed to create depth when viewed through a zograscope. The perspective is exaggerated and theatrical, heightening the tension of the moment. The hand coloring, still strong and fresh, adds to the dramatic impact—especially the reds, blues, and blacks used to signify uniforms, flames, and flags. Above the scene, a reversed French title along the top border is a hallmark of optical prints, meant to appear legible when viewed through mirrored optical devices. The lower margin features a printed French description and a carefully penned Dutch caption in brown ink, adding provenance and local historical context for a Dutch-speaking audience. These types of naval battle scenes are among the most collectable of optical prints, especially when they depict rare or less frequently recorded events such as this Turkish-Venetian engagement, which helped mark the waning of Ottoman influence in the Adriatic. Keywords: Venetian naval battle print, Ottoman fleet, vue d’optique maritime, 18th-century naval...

Antique print titled 'Der ungluckliche Zufall der beeden Frazösischen Kriegs (..) - Etat malheureux de Quebeck et de la Surveillante (..)'. An engraving of a painting by Richard Paton of the three and a half hour long naval battle of 6 October 1779 which was fought off Ushant between HMS Quebec, under the command of Captain George Farmer, and the Surveillante, under the command of Captain Couédic de Kergoaler. The Quebec caught fire and exploded, and the British crew were rescued by the French. Captain George Farmer (b.1732) died in the battle. American War of Independence...

Cortés Scuttling His Ships at Veracruz – Hand-Colored Engraving by Van Beecq, c.1690 An exceptional late 17th-century hand-colored copperplate engraving depicting Hernán Cortés scut...

The Ocean is an etching realized by Pierre Quentin Chedel in 1755. Good conditions. The artwork is depicted through confident strokes. The etching was realized for the anatomy stu...

A hand-colored aquatint engraving dated January 1, 1825 and engraved by T. Sutherland, London. Titled "South Sea Whale Fishery", after a painting by Will...

Original 18th century color engraving print by renowned artist Pe. F.H. Bruegel. A fine crisp impression of great rarity; it is particularly unusual to find color engravings of th...

Original 18th century color engraving print by renowned artist Pe. F.H. Bruegel. A fine crisp impression of great rarity; it is particularly unusual to find color engravings of this...