Theater at Patara in Lycia, Antique Engraving after L. Mayer, 1797

An original antique copper engraving, uncolored, published in 1797. The caption engraved below the image reads "Theater at Patara."

The ruined theater lies at the foot of a steep mountain. Its long curved wall and rows of seating run across the center of the view, with the arched remains of the stage building standing at the left end and a further ruined gateway at the right. Fallen blocks lie along the front of the building. A high hillside rises at the left, its slopes dotted with many small rectangular facades, and a second mountain fills the background. At the lower left three men sit on the grass: one with a long staff, one in a turban, and one in a brimmed hat drawing on a board. A single figure walks along a path in the center, two more stand near the right, and a few small buildings are scattered across the plain at the far right.

The lower left is lettered "L. Mayer Delint." and the lower right "Byrne Sculpt.", naming the engraver William Byrne. The plate number "PL. LVI" is engraved at the upper right.

This plate was issued in Antiquities of Ionia, Part the Second, published by the Society of Dilettanti in London in 1797. William Byrne (1743 to 1805) was a London engraver of landscape plates. Patara was a principal port of ancient Lycia on the southern coast of modern Turkey and is traditionally the birthplace of Saint Nicholas.

Light uneven toning, browner towards the edges. Marked handling soiling along the bottom, left and right edges. Foxing over much of the margin. Slight wear at the bottom right corner.

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