Antique View of the Ruins of Selah, Petra, Arabia, Steel Engraving, circa 1850

The ruins of Petra, an original antique steel engraving, uncolored, circa 1850. The caption reads RUINEN von SELAH (PETRA) in Arabien, the ruins of Selah (Petra) in Arabia.

The plate looks down the valley of Petra from a height. The theater cut into the rock lies at the left, a line of standing columns and temple fronts runs along the valley floor at the center, and tall cliffs with rock-cut facades close the view at the right, with pale mountain peaks beyond. In the foreground two men in long robes, one seated and one standing with a staff, are among fallen column drums, a carved block and broad-leaved plants, and three more figures stand by a rock-cut dwelling at the right.

The credits below the image read Graf de Laborde del. at lower left (drawn by Count de Laborde) and Grünewald sc. at lower right (Grünewald engraved it). The imprint at lower left reads Aus d. Kunstanstalt d. Bibliogr. Instituts in Hildbh. (from the art works of the Bibliographisches Institut in Hildburghausen), and at lower right Eigenthum d. Verleger (property of the publishers). The plate number CX is engraved at the top left of the image.

The Hildburghausen imprint is that of Meyer's Universum, a serial collection of engraved views with descriptive text published by Joseph Meyer's Bibliographisches Institut at Hildburghausen from 1833, its plates engraved on steel. The sheet comes from a dealer's album rather than from a bound set. Petra was the rock-cut capital of the Nabataeans in the south of present-day Jordan, and older writers identified it with the biblical Sela, the name given in the caption.

Handling soiling along the bottom, left and top edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin. Corners and edges are not shown by this scan. Clean, even paper tone in the margin. Several larger brown marks.

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