Tomb of the Howards, Arundel, Antique Steel Engraving after S. Read, circa 1876

A richly carved Gothic tomb canopy fills most of this upright steel engraving. Its openwork cresting, pinnacles and rose-like tracery are supported on twisted columns, and the deep bays beneath hold carved panels and niches in shadow. To the left stands a smaller tomb chest enclosed by an iron frame with tall candle posts, and above it a diamond-shaped funeral hatchment hangs on the wall. Light falls from tall windows onto worn floor slabs, where a few books and a stool lie beside a simple rush-seated chair at the right, as if a visitor had just stepped away.

The plate is lettered "The Tomb of the Howards. Arundel Church." The Howard family, Dukes of Norfolk, have their seat at Arundel Castle in West Sussex, and their family monuments are housed in the Fitzalan Chapel at the east end of the parish church. The drawing is credited to S. Read and the engraving to T. Heawood, and the sheet carries the imprint of Cassell, Petter & Galpin of London.

This is a steel engraving printed in black on wove paper, without color. Heawood renders the intricate stone carving with remarkable precision, contrasting the bright, pale masonry of the walls with the dark recesses of the canopy, and the play of light across the floor gives the interior a quiet, almost hushed atmosphere.

It is a fine choice for anyone drawn to church architecture or English history, and it would sit handsomely in a library or hallway in a dark wood frame with a wide cream mat.

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