The Propylaea and Greek Orthodox Monks, Calogeri, 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). The upper image shows a columned portico under a triangular pediment, approached by a broad flight of steps, set between two tall masonry pedestals each carrying an equestrian statue, with a long wall and a side colonnade behind and a grassy foreground under a pale blue sky. The lower image shows two bearded monks walking in open country with shrubs behind them. At left a monk in a brown hood and dark cloak over a buff robe with a white sash holds a string of beads, his hand on his chest; at right a monk in a brown hood and a long orange robe over a pink underrobe walks with his hands at his waist.

The top margin is lettered "Tom IV", "GRECIA" and "Tav 147". The captions read "Propilei" (The Propylaea) and "Calogeri o Monaci Greci" (Calogeri, or Greek monks).

The Propylaea is the monumental gateway to the Acropolis of Athens, built in the fifth century BC under Pericles. Calogeri comes from the Greek kalogeros, the common name for an Orthodox monk, used by western travelers in Greece and the Levant.

With architecture above and figures below, this sheet sits well with classical views or a collection of Greek travel prints, and its pale blue sky and soft greens keep it light in a bright room.

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