Antique View of the City of Damietta, Niebuhr Copper Engraving, 1776

This is an original antique copper engraving from 1776, a wide view of the town of Damietta across the Nile. The caption reads in Dutch GEZIGT der Stad DAMIÂT. and in French VÛE de la Ville de DAMIÂT., both meaning view of the city of Damietta.

The town stretches along the far bank, a long low line of flat roofed buildings with many minarets rising above it, and a heavier walled building with a tall minaret on a rocky bank at the right. Boats with lateen sails lie on the river, and more boats are moored along the far shore. At the far left cattle stand on a spit of land near a clump of trees. In the foreground three figures are gathered on a bank of rough ground, one standing and pointing and two seated with staffs, with a boat under sail on the water to their left, and on the open sandy shore at the right small figures walk toward the town. A great sky of heaped cloud fills the upper half of the plate.

The credits are lettered below the image: Baurenfeind, del. at the lower left and C. Philips, Jz: fecit. at the lower right. The plate number Tab: VIII. is engraved at the upper right.

The plate comes from the first volume of Voyage en Arabie & en d'autres Pays circonvoisins, the French translation of Carsten Niebuhr's account, its title page reading TOME PREMIER. Traduit de l'Allemand. A AMSTERDAM, chez S. J. BAALDE. A UTRECHT, chez J. VAN SCHOONHOVEN & COMP. MDCCLXXVI. 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. The expedition's artist, Georg Wilhelm Baurenfeind, died at sea in 1763.

Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. Marked handling soiling along the bottom, left and right edges. Foxing over much of the margin. Folding plate, original folds as issued. Slight wear at the top right corner.

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