Entrance to the Harbor of Cacamo, Caramania, Antique Aquatint, 1803

An original antique aquatint with original hand color, published in London in 1803, after a drawing by Luigi Mayer. The caption is lettered in two languages: "PRINCIPAL ENTRANCE OF THE HARBOUR OF CACAMO." at the left and "PRINCIPALE ENTRÉE DU PORT DE CACAMO." at the right, the French repeating the English: principal entrance of the port of Cacamo.

The view looks across calm water to a town of flat roofed stone houses climbing a green hillside, with a walled fort on the summit and hills beyond. At the left a rocky shore rises to a tree, with a vaulted ruin above the water and two figures at the mouth of a cave cut into the rock. In the foreground a rowing boat carries a group of men in turbans, one standing at the stern with an oar. Further out two more rowing boats cross the channel, a lateen rigged boat rides at the right edge, and smaller sailing craft lie off the point and in the distance.

Lower left is the credit "L. Mayer del." (Mayer drew it). The imprint below the caption names R. Bowyer at the Historic Gallery, Pall Mall, with the date 1803.

The plate comes from Views in the Ottoman Empire, chiefly in Caramania, a part of Asia Minor hitherto unexplored; with some curious selections from the islands of Rhodes and Cyprus, published in London by R. Bowyer in 1803 with 24 hand colored aquatint plates and text and titles in English and French (Abbey, Travel II, 369). Luigi Mayer (1755 to 1803) was an Italian born artist who worked in the Ottoman Empire for Sir Robert Ainslie, British ambassador at Constantinople.

Light uneven toning, browner towards the edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. All four corners complete.

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