Description: Three original Chinese copper etched engravings. Hand painted in water colors. All three were drawn by T. Allom. Framed, under glass with forest green matting. Overall size, 13.5 x 16". 1. " Foot of the Too- king, or Two Peaks, at Le Nai". Engraved by R. Sands. 2. "The Tung-ting Shan". Engraved by J. Sands. 3. "A Mandarin paying a visit of Ceremony". Engraved by A. Fox. This piece is slightly smaller than the other two. Overall size, 13.5 x 15.5". 6.25 x 8.5 sight.

History: In traditional pure etching, a metal (usually copper, zinc or steel) plate is covered with a waxy ground which is resistant to acid. The artist then scratches off the ground with a pointed etching needle where he or she wants a line to appear in the finished piece, so exposing the bare metal. The plate is then dipped in a bath of acid, technically called the mordant (French for "biting") or etchant, or has acid washed over it. The acid "bites" into the metal (it dissolves part of the metal) where it is exposed, leaving behind lines sunk into the plate. The remaining ground is then cleaned off the plate. The plate is inked all over, and then the ink wiped off the surface, leaving only the ink in the etched lines. The plate is then put through a high-pressure printing press together with a sheet of paper (often moistened to soften it). The paper picks up the ink from the etched lines, making a print. The process can be repeated many times; typically several hundred impressions (copies) could be printed before the plate shows much sign of wear. The work on the plate can also be added to by repeating the whole process; this creates an etching which exists in more than one state.Most likely this is the artist. Thomas Allom was an English artist, topographical illustrator and architect, and one of the founder members of what eventually became the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He was born in Lambeth, south London, the son of a coachman from Suffolk. In 1819, he was apprenticed to architect Francis Goodwin for whom he worked until 1826. He then studied at the Royal Academy School. His designs for churches shown at exhibitions in 1824 and 1827 aroused considerable interest, and he later designed many buildings in London (including a workhouse in Marloes Road, Kensington (1847), the Church of Christ in Highbury in 1850, the Church of St Peter in Notting Hill in 1856, and the elegant Ladbroke Estate in west London).

Provenance: Arthur J Connolly, Nples, FL

Dimensions: Weight (Pounds & Ounces) = 6.5 | Height(in) = 16 | Width(in) = 18 | Depth(in) = 6

Size of Artwork(in): 6.5 x 9" sight.

Artist Name: T. Allom, A. Fox, Sands

Medium: Paper, ink, paint.

Circa: Circa 1840

Only minimal age coloring. Very good condition.