Hieroglyphs on the Broken Obelisks of Cairo, Antique Print, 1776

This is an original antique copper engraving from 1776, plate XXXVI of volume 1 of Carsten Niebuhr's Voyage en Arabie. The caption reads, in Dutch and then in French, Beeld-Schriften op Verbrokene Obelisken te Káhira. and Hiérogliphes sur des Obélisques brisés à Káhira., meaning "Hieroglyphs on Broken Obelisks at Cairo".

Two inscriptions are copied, lettered A and B, each set out as a pair of tall, narrow strips standing side by side within the border. The signs run from top to bottom: birds, including a large standing bird and a falcon, oval rings enclosing groups of signs, looped crosses, half circles, reeds and other shapes, drawn in outline and filled with fine hatching. The strips are of different lengths. The left strip of A is the longest and its outline is ragged along part of one side, where the stone is broken. Its companion is shorter, and the two strips of B stop at different heights. Small asterisks are engraved beside several signs on both inscriptions, and a few worn places are shown as patches of stipple.

Under the lower right corner of the image is lettered "C. J. de Huyser, direx." The plate number Tab: XXXVI. is engraved at the upper right.

The sheet comes from the first volume of Carsten Niebuhr's Voyage en Arabie & en d'autres Pays circonvoisins, the Tome Premier, translated from the German and issued at Amsterdam by S. J. Baalde and at Utrecht by J. van Schoonhoven and Comp., with the date MDCCLXXVI on its title page. Niebuhr (1733 to 1815) was a German born surveyor in Danish service and the only member of the Danish expedition to Arabia (1761 to 1767), sent by King Frederick V of Denmark, to return alive.

Light uneven toning, browner toward the edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. All four corners are present. Minor edge wear, shallow nicks along the right.

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