The Holstein Gate, Lubeck, Antique Steel Engraving after Carl Werner, circa 1885

A grand frontal view of the Holstein Gate at Lübeck, its two round towers with tall conical roofs flanking a stepped central gable and a deep arched gateway. Behind it the twin spires of the great brick church of St. Mary rise high above the old town, with a ship's mast and sail visible among the gabled houses at left.

A broad, rutted road leads straight to the gate, and the foreground is full of life: market women sit under large umbrellas with baskets of produce at right, neighbors gather around a low wall at left, and a girl with a basket walks toward the viewer.

The Holstentor, built in the fifteenth century, was the western gate of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck and is today the emblem of the city. The plate is lettered "The Holstein Gate, Lubeck." and credits the painter C. Werner (Carl Werner), whose signature also appears in the image at lower left, and the engraver J. Godfrey. The imprint is "Cassell & Company, Limited.", the London house of Cassell under the name it used from the 1880s.

This is a steel engraving with a clear, bright tonality. The brickwork and ornament of the gate are picked out in fine detail, and the open sky, lightly engraved with drifting cloud and birds, gives the composition a spacious, airy feel.

Its upright format and strong central subject make it an ideal piece to hang alone on a narrow wall or above a small table.

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