Artist: William Henry Bartlett (1809–1854)
Engraver: Thomas Higham (1795–1844)
Technique: Original Antique Steel Engraving
Dimensions: Plate: 12.6x18.6 cm | Page: 19.7x26.8 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, presents a dramatic and romantic landscape view titled Scene on the River Orontes, Near Seleucia. The composition captures the historical Orontes River (modern-day Asi River in the border region of Syria and Turkey) winding through a monumental, deep mountain gorge near ancient Seleucia Pieria. Masterfully drawn from nature by the celebrated British topographical artist William Henry Bartlett, the scene highlights a towering, sheer vertical limestone cliff on the left, counterbalanced by steep mountain slopes on the right. The calm river reflects the atmospheric sky, which features a faint crescent moon on the upper left and a bright setting sun glowing over the distant mountain peaks. The foreground is detailed with native riverside trees and dense shrubbery, where a lone local traveler on horseback is depicted navigating a narrow dirt path along the bank. Engraved onto steel with superb fine-line precision and tonal nuance by Thomas Higham, this print exemplifies the romantic grandeur of nineteenth-century Near Eastern landscapes. 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.
Thomas Higham (1795–1844): A highly accomplished English line and topographical engraver, widely recognized for his exquisite skill in rendering atmospheric light, water reflections, and complex geographical formations on steel plates.