Mountain People of the Riesengebirge and a Wedding Procession, 1842

An original antique lithograph, hand colored, from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The upper image shows two men carrying loads on wooden back frames, one with a large tied sack, the other with a tall wicker basket, both in black hats and holding short sticks; the man on the left, in a green coat, wears round snowshoes. Beside them stands a woman in a pink head scarf, green shawl and flowered apron holding a swaddled baby, with a leafy green bush growing between her and the two men. The lower image shows a wedding party walking along a path in front of a church spire and green hills, led by two men blowing horns tied with red ribbons; behind them come men in cocked hats, long coats, red or yellow waistcoats and white stockings, some holding sprigs, and women in bodices and flowered or spotted aprons, with grass and a fallen branch in the foreground.

The top margin is lettered "Tom IV", "GERMANIA" and "Tav. 77". Under the upper image: "Montanari Boemo-Germani del Riesengebirg" (Bohemian German mountain people of the Riesengebirge). Under the lower image: "Abitanti del Riesengebirg in comitiva nuziale" (Inhabitants of the Riesengebirge in a wedding party).

The Riesengebirge, or Giant Mountains, form the border between Bohemia and Silesia; today the range is shared by the Czech Republic and Poland.

The long procession across the lower half gives the plate a pleasing rhythm on the wall.

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