A Germanic Family and Germanic Travelers, Herdsmen and Hunters, 1842

This original antique lithograph, colored by hand, is a plate from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The upper image shows a man standing almost naked but for a yellow cloak over his shoulders, a club in one hand, holding out the other toward a long haired woman seated on the grass in a brown wrap who embraces a child; behind them rise a low wall and a ruined stone tower. The lower image shows four men walking together in short cloaks of purple, yellow, red and ocher, their hair tied in topknots, carrying spears and a sword, one in a pleated white tunic; on a hill in the distance stands a small group with raised spears.

The top margin is lettered "Tav 66" at left, "GERMANIA" in the center and "Tom. IV" at right. The captions read "Famiglia Germana" (Germanic family) and "Germani viaggiatori pastori e cacciatori" (Germans as travelers, herdsmen and hunters).

The plate shows the ancient peoples beyond the Roman frontier, known to Roman writers such as Caesar and Tacitus, who wrote of their herds and their hunting. The plate presents them in that light, with simple cloaks, spears and clubs rather than any later costume, and places the family against rough masonry and the travelers in open country.

The bold cloaks and the energy of the walking group give this plate a strong presence among early history subjects.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.