Church of Saint Sophia, Chiesa di S. Sofia, Hand Colored Lithograph, 1842

This original antique lithograph, hand colored in soft gray, buff and peach, is from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The single image, laid out across the sheet, shows the front elevation of the church of Saint Sophia. A broad ribbed dome on a drum pierced with small arched windows rises at the center, crowned with a finial and a crescent. Below it a half dome and a great arch with columns open above a low roof, flanked by stepped masses of masonry. The long front is divided by pilasters into bays, with a row of tall arched windows above, round and square openings below, and three small pedimented doorways at the center, all set on a grassy foreground.

The top margin is lettered "Tom IV", "GRECIA" and "Tav 153". The caption reads "Chiesa di S. Sofia" (Church of Saint Sophia).

Saint Sophia, Hagia Sophia in Greek, means Holy Wisdom, a dedication given to churches in several cities of the Byzantine world. The crescent on the dome is the sign of a building used as a mosque under Ottoman rule.

A handsome architectural sheet in landscape format, well suited to a study, a library or a collection of architectural views. The quiet palette of gray, buff and peach lets the drawing of the dome and arcades carry the image. The landscape format suits a wide wall or a shelf display.

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