Civita Castellana, Antique Italian View of the Gorge and Bridge, circa 1850

A view of the gorge at Civita Castellana in Lazio, an original antique steel engraving, uncolored, circa 1850. The caption beneath the image reads CIVITA CASTELLANA, the town of Civita Castellana in Lazio, north of Rome.

A deep wooded ravine opens across the plate, with a river in white water running through it toward the left foreground. A tall bridge on high arches spans the gorge in the middle distance, and a large building with a long front and a small town stand on the rim at the right, with hills along the horizon. In the foreground a road runs behind a low stone parapet, where three figures stand at the right: a man leaning on the wall, a woman carrying a jar on her head and a man beside her. Trees frame the scene on both sides.

The engraver's credit at the lower right, below the border, reads Martini sc (engraved by Martini). Below the caption, the imprint at the left reads Aus d. Kunstanst. d. Bibl. Inst. in Hildbh. (from the art works of the Bibliographisches Institut in Hildburghausen), and at the right Eigenthum d. Verleger. (property of the publishers). The plate number DCXXII is engraved at the top right, above the image.

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, right 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.