Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), after a sketch by Sir Charles Barry (1795–1860)
Engraver: William Finden (1787–1852)
Technique: Original Antique Steel Engraving
Dimensions: Plate: 9.2x13.8 cm | Page: 15.3x23.4 cm
Status: Authentic 1834 print, explicit text attribution on the lower plate border, plate number 18
Publisher: John Murray, London (Sold also by Charles Tilt)
About the Artwork:
This authentic antique steel engraving, published in 1834, captures the ruins of the Western Gate of Assos (modern-day Behramkale, Turkey), a historic harbor town in Anatolia visited by the Apostle Paul as documented in Acts chapter twenty, verse thirteen. The composition was masterfully developed by the legendary British Romantic painter Joseph Mallord William Turner, utilizing an on-the-spot field sketch drawn by the celebrated English architect Sir Charles Barry. Engraved onto steel with rich dramatic contrast by William Finden, the print showcases the crumbling monumental stone fortifications, ancient ruined walls, and a  distant low sun or moon framed through a gateway arch. The foreground is detailed with local figures among architectural debris, capturing Turner’s signature play of atmospheric light and shadow. This plate originates from the publication Landscape Illustrations of the Bible.
About the Artists
Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851): One of the most celebrated figures in British art history. A Romantic landscape painter, watercolorist, and printmaker, Turner revolutionized the depiction of light, atmosphere, and dramatic architectural ruins, heavily influencing the Impressionist movement.
Sir Charles Barry (1795–1860): A premier English architect best known for designing the Palace of Westminster (the Houses of Parliament) in London. His extensive travels through the Mediterranean and Anatolia yielded highly accurate architectural field sketches.
William Finden (1787–1852): A master London line engraver who, together with his brother Edward, ran one of the most successful steel-plate engraving studios of the nineteenth century, famous for high-precision landscape and biblical book illustrations.