Notre Dame Gothic Cathedral Front, Hand Colored Lithograph, 1842

This original antique lithograph, hand colored, comes from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). It shows the west front of a Gothic cathedral in warm ocher and buff tones under a gray and pink tinted sky. Two tall towers of unequal height, each with paired louvered openings and a slate colored roof, flank a large rose window set above a gallery of statues. A slender spire rises behind the center of the front. At ground level three deep pointed portals lined with sculpture open onto a broad flight of steps, the central portal crowned by a tall gable. A tall pinnacled turret rises at the far left above a small low building, tall plain houses close the view at the right, and two small figures, one in red, cross the open square in front. The color is laid in soft washes of ocher, gray and rose, leaving the carved detail of the portals, arcades and statue galleries clearly legible beneath it.

The lettering reads "Tom. IV" at the top left, "FRANCIA" at the center and "Tav 56" at the top right. The single caption under the image reads "Notre-Dame" (Our Lady).

Notre-Dame, Our Lady, is the dedication of many French cathedrals, and the caption on this plate names no city. The view is a fine example of the High Gothic west front, with its twin towers, rose window and sculptured portals.

A single strong architectural image, it hangs well on its own in a hallway or study.

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