Liebenstein and Sternenfels, Rhine, Steel Engraving after Birket Foster, c. 1872

A steel engraving of the twin Rhine castles of Liebenstein and Sterrenberg, the "Hostile Brothers", after Birket Foster.

The castle ruins crown a steep, wooded ridge that drops straight into the river. Below, a paddle steamer trails smoke across the calm water, sailing boats move upstream, and in the foreground rafts and small boats are loaded with baskets and bundles while a boatman poles them along. Hills fold away into the distance beyond.

The plate is lettered "B. Foster" and "E.I. Roberts", with the title "Liebenstein, Sternenfels" and the imprint "William Mackenzie, London, Edinburgh and Glasgow". Heritage Images records this plate, after Birket Foster and engraved by E.I. Roberts, as published in Captain H.M. Hozier's The Franco-Prussian War (William Mackenzie, 1872), so the date is given as circa 1872.

The two castles above Kamp-Bornhofen are linked by a legend of two quarreling brothers, and they were one of the most painted sights of the Middle Rhine. Myles Birket Foster was one of the best loved illustrators of Victorian Britain, and his Rhine views combine topography with lively river life.

A pleasing view for anyone who has traveled the Rhine, it hangs well alone or with the other Foster Rhine plates in this group. The engraved image measures about 11.2 by 16.3 cm (height by width), and the margins around it carry all the original lettering, which is worth keeping visible in the mat.

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