Batalha Monastery, Portugal, Antique Interior View with an Altar, circa 1850

An interior view at the monastery of Batalha in Portugal, an original antique steel engraving, uncolored, circa 1850. The caption beneath the image reads BATALHA, the Dominican monastery of Batalha in central Portugal.

The upright plate looks through a richly carved late Gothic archway under a ribbed vault into a lighter space beyond, where tall windows and slender piers can be seen and two small figures stand. At the right an altar with lighted candles stands against a plain stone wall, with a carved figure seated in a niche above it and a cross on top. Women in dark shawls and white headcloths kneel before the altar, another woman stands at the left of center with a basket on the ground beside her, and a stone basin, a cross and a ledge are set against the wall at the left, with plants in the foreground.

The artist's credit at the lower left reads Holland pinx. (painted by Holland), and the engraver's credit at the lower right reads B. Metzeroth sc. (engraved by B. Metzeroth). Below the caption, the imprint at the left reads Aus d. Kunstanst. d. Bibliogr. Instit. in Hildburgh. (from the art works of the Bibliographisches Institut in Hildburghausen), and at the right Eigenthum der Verleger. (property of the publishers). The plate number CCCLXXIX is engraved at the top right, above the image. A faint pencil note, too rubbed to read, runs along the lower edge of the sheet.

The 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.

Marked handling soiling along the bottom, left and right edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. Corners and edges are not shown by this scan. Clean, even paper tone in the margin. One larger brown mark.

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