Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851), after a sketch by Sir Charles Barry (1795–1860)
Engraver: Samuel Fisher (active 1830s–1850s)
Technique: Original Antique Steel Engraving, Plate sixty five
Dimensions: Plate: 9.5x14.3 cm | Page: 15.3x23.4 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, presents a masterfully composed elevated view of the historic port city of Rhodes, Greece. The island holds notable biblical significance as a recorded harbor stop during the Apostle Paul’s return voyage toward Jerusalem, as cited on the lower border at Acts chapter twenty one, verse one: "And it came to pass... we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto Rhodes". The composition was executed 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 exceptional fine-line detail and dramatic atmosphere by Samuel Fisher, the print showcases the walled medieval City of Rhodes wrapping around the harbor. Prominent landmarks include the Palace of the Grand Master with its soaring defensive tower on the left, maritime windmills along the mole, and a distant lighthouse near a forest of ship masts. The setting sun or moon glows intensely on the left, casting a brilliant shimmering reflection across the calm sea toward snow-capped mountain ridges on the Anatolian coast. The foreground features an animated, detailed scene at a stone fountain terrace where local Greek and regional women in traditional attire gather to wash fabrics and fill pottery jugs. This plate originates from volume two of the publication Landscape Illustrations of the Bible.
About the Artists:
Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851): One of Britain's greatest Romantic landscape painters and printmakers, renowned for his revolutionary mastery of light, atmosphere, and dramatic architectural vistas.
Sir Charles Barry (1795–1860): The iconic English architect famous for designing the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), who traveled the Mediterranean and Anatolia sketching classical ruins.
Samuel Fisher (Active 1830s–1850s): An accomplished British line engraver who specialized in executing complex architectural details and delicate atmospheric textures for premium travel volumes.