Roman Bolt Engines and a Ram Under a Shed, Montfaucon Siege Plate, 1722

This is an original antique copper engraving, uncolored, a double page folding plate on Roman engines of war, in eight numbered figures. At the upper left a relief shows an assault on a walled town: horsemen ride through water at the left, defenders with round shields crowd the battlements, and attackers press against an arched gate while others lie fallen. At the upper right a soldier in armor walks beside a two wheeled cart drawn by two horses, carrying a small engine. Between and below them are diagrams of machines: bolt shooting engines with their arrows, one on a three legged stand, a bow mounted on a grooved stock, the parts of a windlass, an arched frame on a stand and a frame seen from above. The broad lower relief shows soldiers with shields carrying a long roofed shed from which a beam with a ram's head projects, two groups of cloaked men watching at the left, and at the right bearded men inside a round walled enclosure raising their hands, with others outside and a dragon headed banner raised before them.

No source captions are engraved on this plate. The figures carry small numbers from 1 to 8, with the number 4 repeated beside three of the bolt engines. The corners are lettered "Vol·IV." at foot left, "Plate 28" at foot right and "Page 85" at top right.

Bernard de Montfaucon (1655 to 1741) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar whose L'Antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures appeared in Paris in 1719. The English translation by David Humphreys, Antiquity Explained, and Represented in Sculptures, was printed in London by J. Tonson and J. Watts in 1722, and this plate belongs to its fourth volume. Volume four deals with war, and this plate belongs to its account of battle and siege. Montfaucon drew together figures copied from ancient monuments, coins, gems and the publications of earlier antiquaries, and engraved the name of each source beside its figure.

Narrative relief and clean technical drawing sit side by side on the sheet.

Condition: Complete sheet, edges straight and without nicks. Light, uneven toning, soiled along all four edges. Foxing and several larger brown spots across much of the margin. Folding plate with the original center fold.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.