| Method | Copper engraving |
| Artist | Olfert Dapper |
| Published | [Amsterdam, 1670] |
| Dimensions | Image 260 x 354 mm, Plate 270 x 355 mm, Sheet 310 x 365 mm |
| Notes |
A seventeenth century view of the city of Alexandria, Egypt, from the German edition of Dapper's Naukeurige Beschrijvinge der Afrikaensche Gewesten, commonly known as the Description of Africa. The city is shown from the north, looking across the coast and its harbours, towards the city. Various key structures are shown, accompanied by a lettered key in Dutch and English in the top left and right corners of the plate. Most notable is the famous Pharos, one of the seven ancient wonders, though its inclusion is clearly romantic, as the final part of the lighthouse was removed in AD 1480, the stones being recycled in the construction of the Citadel of Qaitbay. Olfert Dapper's 'Description of Africa' was an ethnographic book which offered a detailed description of the parts of Africa known to Europeans in the mid-seventeenth century. Despite the work being regarded as one of the most important and detailed seventeenth-century publications on Africa, Dapper himself never actually visited the continent. Instead, he relied on the reports of Jesuit missionaries and Dutch explorers. The 'Description of Africa' was first published in 1668 by Jacob van Meurs in Amsterdam, with a second Dutch edition appearing in 1676. In 1670, a German translation of the publication was issued, and in the same year, an English translation, which is generally attributed to John Ogilby. A French edition was published in 1676, although it was not as true to the original as the other translations. Olfert Dapper (1636 - 1689) was a Dutch physician and writer. Despite never travelling outside of the Netherlands, Dapper was a writer of world history and geography. Condition: Vertical centre fold as issued. Even toning to sheet. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £280.00 |
| Stock ID | 45507 |