Sir Ralph Abercromby on Horseback Before the Pyramids of Egypt, 1816

An original antique engraving, colored by hand, captioned "LIEUT GENL SIR RALPH ABERCROMBIE." with the T and L of the abbreviations engraved as raised letters. The caption spells the surname as engraved; the usual spelling is Abercromby. He rides a gray horse walking toward the right and holds out a closed telescope in his right hand. He has white hair and wears a black bicorne with a red and white plume, a scarlet coat with dark blue facings and gold epaulettes, a light blue sash across the chest, white breeches and black boots. His saddle cloth is crimson with a gold fringe. The ground is sandy desert; four pyramids rise on the horizon at the left, and at the right stand an obelisk and the ruined columns of a temple.

No engraver's or artist's name is lettered on this plate. The publication line reads "London Published by Richd. Evans, Whites Row. Spitalfields. 1816." Abercromby commanded the British army that landed in Egypt in 1801 and was mortally wounded at the battle of Alexandria.

The plate was issued for The History of the Wars occasioned by the French Revolution by William Nicholson, LL.D., printed in London for Thomas Kelly of 17 Paternoster Row. Its title page promises biographical sketches of the public characters of Europe, with an account of the Congress of Vienna, the escape from Elba, Waterloo and the exile to Saint Helena. The plates carry their own engraved publication line naming Richard Evans of Whites Row, Spitalfields, London.

The pyramids and obelisk give this plate an unusual Egyptian setting within the series.

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