Murcian Rider, Andalusian and Portuguese Merchant with Wife and Maid, 1842

This is an original antique lithograph with hand coloring from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). In the upper image a rider in a blue cloak and a tall dark hat with a red scarf beneath it sits on a brown mule with a red and yellow saddlecloth, a gun across his lap and a basket of green fodder behind him, while a second laden mule follows on the path. Beside him stands a young man in a long orange cloak over a red waistcoat, dark breeches and white stockings, wearing a tall dark cap with a red scarf at the back. In the lower image three figures walk in a row: at the left a woman in a long green cape over a yellow and pink skirt, with a bow in her hair; in the center a woman shrouded from head to foot in black, a long rosary with a cross hanging at her side; and at the right a man wrapped in a pink cloak, holding his hat.

The top margin is lettered "Tav. 6" at the left, "PORTOGALLO" in the center and "Tom: IV" at the right. The captions under the upper image read "Murciano" (Murcian) at the left and "Andalusio" (Andalusian) at the right. The caption under the lower image reads "Mercante Portoghese con Moglie e Cameriera" (Portuguese merchant with his wife and maid).

Although the plate is headed for Portugal, the two men in the upper image are named for Murcia and Andalusia, regions of southern Spain, so the sheet sets Spanish and Portuguese dress side by side. Long enveloping cloaks for both men and women are a feature of all three groups shown here.

The two images read well together in a single mat, the bright cloaks of the upper scene balanced by the darker procession below.

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