Medium: Antique Steel Engraving: Print
Artist: Aine H. Roux, M.L. Barre
From: Herculanum et Pompei, Recueil General, Peintures Bronzes, Mosaigues, Etc, 1840
Publication Information: Paris: Librarie de Firmin-Didot
Size: 7 1/2 x 11”
Description: Antique print; pristine steel engraving.

A scarce set of archaeological works, exploring the many mosaics, antiquities and buildings from the lost ancient cities of both Herculanum and Pompei; adorned with many beautifully engraved plates. Pompeii along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area, were mostly destroyed and buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft of ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Photographed on a black background.  
Printed 3 years before The Oregon Trail, the first wave of migration via ‘wagon train’ across America that compromised 900 people.

Steel Engraving is a technique for printing illustrations based on steel, rather than copper. It is the practice of incising a design onto steel by cutting grooves into it. An impression is created on the steel plate, which is then filled with opaque ink. When paper is pressed into the plate, it creates raised and colored areas. It has been rarely used in artistic printmaking, although it was often used for reproductions in the 19th century. The most reliable way of distinguishing between unfaced copper engraving and steel or steel-faced engraving is the “lightness and delicacy of the pale lines” in the latter.

No Reserve: This lot starts at $3 and has no reserve as a courtesy so that collectors can determine the true market value on this authentic item.

Slight wear and foxing due to the age of the piece