Artist: William Brockedon (1787–1854), after a sketch by Reverend Francis Vyvyan Jago Arundell (1780–1846)
Engraver: Edward Francis Finden (1791–1857)
Technique: Original Antique Steel Engraving, Plate ninety one
Dimensions: Plate: 9.8x14.0 cm | Page: 15.5x23.4 cm
Status: Authentic 1836 print, explicit text attribution on the lower plate border
Publisher: John Murray, London (Sold also by Charles Tilt)
About the Artwork:
This authentic antique steel engraving, published in 1836, provides a detailed topographical view of Khonos (modern-day Honaz, Turkey), identified as the site of ancient Colossae in Phrygia, Anatolia. The city holds prominent biblical significance as the destination for the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians, referenced on the lower border at Colossians chapter one, verse two. The scene was composed by British artist William Brockedon, meticulously developing an on-the-spot field sketch by the traveler Reverend F. J. Arundell. Engraved by Edward Finden, the composition depicts a lush, mountainous valley filled with dense cypress and olive trees, interspersed with regional stone flat-roofed houses. In the foreground, local figures rest outside a structure on the right, while a traveler guides pack animals along a central dirt path backdropped by steep rocky peaks. This plate originates from the publication Landscape Illustrations of the Bible.
About the Artists:
William Brockedon (1787–1854): An elite English landscape painter, author, and illustrator celebrated for his architectural fidelity and travel-based vistas.
Rev. F. V. J. Arundell (1780–1846): A British antiquarian and chaplain at Smyrna who traveled extensively through Asia Minor mapping ancient ruins and biblical landmarks.
Edward Finden (1791–1857): A master London line engraver who, alongside his brother William, achieved immense success producing high-precision steel illustrations for major nineteenth-century volumes