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Framed and on the wall
Frame and rooms are illustrations of how the piece could look; it is sold unframed unless the description says otherwise.
Roman Soldiers Felling Trees and Building Ramparts, Trajan's Column, 1722
$440
€395 · £335
Original print, not a reproduction.
Ships worldwide from the Netherlands, flat or rolled, insured and tracked. 14-day returns.
- Date
- 1722
- Technique
- Copper Engraving
- Coloring
- Uncolored
- Condition
- Good. Light handling wear to the bottom left corner; minor nicks along the bottom edge. Light toning. Foxing and several larger brown spots across much of the margin. A small light fleck in the printed area. Folding plate with the original center fold.
- Collection
- Battle scenes
- Era
- 1700 to 1789, Wars of the line
- Stock no.
- BG-14184-4-13
What the condition grades mean
- Excellent
- Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
- Very good
- Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
- Good
- Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
- Fair
- Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
This is an original antique copper engraving, uncolored, a double page folding plate from Montfaucon's Antiquity Explained, and Represented in Sculptures, printed in London by J. Tonson and J. Watts in 1722. It shows Roman soldiers at work in four numbered scenes. Across the top, soldiers in segmented armor swing axes at trees, shoulder heavy logs and build up a rampart of timbers and stacked log ends, with a standard behind them at the right. A small panel at the left shows men cutting trees, one of them up in the branches, while others carry logs away; a second small panel below shows soldiers raising a wall of squared blocks. The broad lower scene shows soldiers building walls, carrying baskets of earth, stones and timber, a stream at their feet and two helmets set on top of upright shields at the right, while men stand behind the wall, one with a round shield.
Three captions read "Trajan Pillar": under the upper band, under the pair of small panels at the lower left and under the large lower scene. "Trajan Pillar" refers to Trajan's Column in Rome. The figures carry the numbers 1 to 4. The sheet is lettered "Page 63" at top right, "Voll. IV" at foot left and "Plate 13" at foot right.
Bernard de Montfaucon (1655 to 1741) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar. His L'Antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures appeared in Paris in 1719, and this English translation by David Humphreys, Antiquity Explained, and Represented in Sculptures, was printed in London by J. Tonson and J. Watts in 1722. Volume four deals with war, and this plate belongs to its account of the Roman army in the field, its camps and its works. Montfaucon drew together figures copied from ancient monuments and engraved the name of each source beside its figure.
The wide format and the busy working figures make it a good choice for a long wall or a study.
Condition: Light handling wear to the bottom left corner; minor nicks along the bottom edge. Light toning. Foxing and several larger brown spots across much of the margin. A small light fleck in the printed area. 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.
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