St. Lawrence Church, Rotterdam, Steel Engraving after G. Balmer, circa 1860

An upright steel engraving of the Church of St. Lawrence in Rotterdam, seen from the canal, after George Balmer and engraved by Henry Winkles.

The great Gothic church rises behind a row of buildings at left, its massive square tower lit against a cloudy sky. In front, the canal is busy with barges and small boats, a laden market boat is moored by the quay, and a woman with a parasol is rowed across the water. Tall Dutch houses close the view at right.

The plate is lettered "G. Balmer" and "H. Winkles", with the title "St. Lawrence Cathedral", "Rotterdam" below it, and the imprint "The London Printing and Publishing Company Limited". The British Museum dates Winkles's plate of this subject to 1836; the London Printing and Publishing Company imprint marks a later issue, so this impression is dated circa 1860.

The Laurenskerk, completed in the early sixteenth century, is the only surviving medieval building of central Rotterdam; it was gutted in the bombing of May 1940 and restored after the war. The lettering calls it a cathedral, as English writers often did.

A good choice for anyone with a link to Rotterdam, and its upright format suits a narrow wall. The engraved image measures about 15 by 11.1 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.