Artist: William Henry Bartlett (1809–1854)
Engraver: Everard Benjamin (active 1830s–1840s)
Technique: Original Antique Steel Engraving
Dimensions: Plate: 12.4x19.0 cm | Page: 20.0x27.0 cm
Status: Authentic print published between eighteen thirty six and eighteen thirty eight, explicit text attributions on the lower border
Publisher: Fisher, Son & Co., London & Paris
About the Artwork:
This authentic antique steel engraving, published circa 1836, captures a majestic and romantic landscape view titled Fall of the River Cydnus, Near Tarsus. The composition documents the dramatic, cascading waterfalls of the Cydnus River (modern-day Berdan River) located near the ancient city of Tarsus in Cilicia, Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). Tarsus carries monumental biblical significance as the birthplace and home of the Apostle Paul, as documented in Acts chapter nine, verse eleven and Acts chapter twenty two, verse three.
Masterfully drawn from nature by the prominent British topographical illustrator William Henry Bartlett, the scene highlights a wide, rushing waterfall pouring over rugged rocky ledges into a churning river basin below. The background features a rolling, lush landscape dotted with native palm trees and vegetation, rising into the snow-capped peaks of the Taurus Mountains. The sky features a stylized crescent moon in the upper left. In the left foreground, a detailed group of regional residents in traditional Ottoman-era attire is depicted resting and socializing on the grassy bank, alongside a shepherd with a staff and a goat. Engraved onto steel with exceptional fine-line precision and high tonal contrast by Everard Benjamin, this plate originates from the publication Syria, The Holy Land, Asia Minor, &c. Illustrated.
About the Artists:
William Henry Bartlett (1809–1854): One of the most celebrated and prolific British topographical illustrators of the nineteenth century, famed for his highly accurate on-the-spot travel sketches of the Middle East, Europe, and North America.
Everard Benjamin (Active 1830s–1840s): An accomplished English line and landscape engraver who collaborated with leading London print publishers to translate intricate natural landscapes onto steel plates