Cemetery of Isfahan, 1840, Litograph on Paper

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This atmospheric 19th-century lithograph titled Champ des Morts (Field of the Dead) presents a sweeping view of the historic cemetery … Read more This atmospheric 19th-century lithograph titled Champ des Morts (Field of the Dead) presents a sweeping view of the historic cemetery in Isfahan, Persia (modern-day Iran). Rendered in delicate sepia tones, the image captures a tranquil and haunting scene just outside the city’s monumental skyline. The domes and minarets of Isfahan’s great mosques rise in the background, while scattered gravestones and crumbling mausoleums fill the foreground. Mountains loom softly in the distance, adding to the composition’s meditative mood. Created during a time of growing European fascination with the Middle East and Central Asia, this lithograph reflects the Romantic Orientalist sensibility that was widespread in 19th-century travel art. These prints were typically produced by artists or draughtsmen who had journeyed through the region or worked from sketches made on-site by explorers and diplomats.

This specific print may be associated with a French or British travel album documenting Persia during the Qajar period. The peaceful yet solemn atmosphere evokes themes of time, memory, and architectural grandeur in decline. The figures shown seated near the graves provide a human element, reinforcing the site’s ongoing spiritual significance. The sepia lithographic technique, with its soft shading and restrained color palette, adds a dreamlike tone to the already poetic subject. This type of print would have appealed to 19th-century European collectors with an interest in exotic locales, Islamic architecture, or the travels of writers and diplomats through the East. Today it remains a valuable visual record of Isfahan’s historical landscape before modern changes.

Condition report: The print is in very good condition. The image is crisp and beautifully preserved. Some minor foxing is visible in the outer margins, and the paper shows light aging consistent with its date. The sheet is untrimmed and retains its original wide margins. See less