Ancient Egyptian Statues and Figures, Antique Niebuhr Print, 1776

This is an original antique copper engraving from 1776, plate XLII of the first volume of Carsten Niebuhr's Voyage en Arabie. The plate prints no caption; it shows a group of statues and small figures keyed by the letters A to F.

The figures are arranged in front of a wall of large stone blocks with a broken top, with a plant hanging from a crack at the upper right and the remains of carved figures on the wall at the far left. At the center sits the largest statue, B, a woman with a striped headdress, a band around the brow and a broken crown, holding a small child on her knee. To the left stands A, a figure with a tall plumed crown on a narrow base. In front of the seated statue, D is a seated child figure with a pleated cloth across its lap. To the right, below the letter C, a figure in a flared skirt stands with arms stretched out to the sides. At the lower right corner sits E, a small squatting figure with a broad grimacing face, and at the lower left F, a small seated figure. All are shaded as solid objects, set on the ground with their shadows.

The lower margin is lettered P. Kramer del: at the left and C. Philips Jz: direx. at the right, naming the draftsman and the director of the engraving. The plate number Tab: XLII. is engraved at the upper right.

The plate belongs to the first volume of Niebuhr's Voyage en Arabie & en d'autres Pays circonvoisins, marked TOME PREMIER and Traduit de l'Allemand on its title page, which carries the imprint of S. J. Baalde at Amsterdam and J. van Schoonhoven and Comp. at Utrecht and the date MDCCLXXVI. The account was first published in German at Copenhagen; this is the French translation printed in Amsterdam and Utrecht. Carsten Niebuhr (1733 to 1815) was a German born surveyor in Danish service and the only member of the Danish expedition to Arabia (1761 to 1767), sent by King Frederick V of Denmark, to return alive.

Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Marked handling soiling along all four edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Slight wear at the top left corner. Several larger brown marks.

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