Montfaucon, Cavalry and Infantry Battle Reliefs in Six Scenes, 1722, Engraving

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This is an original antique copper engraving, uncolored, a double page folding plate from montfaucon's antiquity explained, and represented in … Read more This is an original antique copper engraving, uncolored, a double page folding plate from montfaucon's antiquity explained, and represented in sculptures, printed in london by j. Tonson and j. Watts in 1722. Six numbered battle scenes fill the sheet. At the upper left helmeted riders clash in a melee with horses falling and a rider down. At the upper right a horseman in a plumed helmet rides over his enemies among soldiers with spears and plumed helmets, bearded men are seized, and the fallen lie beneath. A long central band shows cavalry in helmets with decorated oval shields riding to the right past a kneeling bearded man. Below, horsemen in crested helmets ride over fallen horses at the left, archers in caps shoot from behind rocks while men on foot advance with spear and shield in the middle scene, and at the right helmeted soldiers with shields fight bearded men among trees. This sheet carries no source captions. The scenes are numbered 1 to 6. The sheet is lettered "vol iv" at foot left and "plate 24" at foot right; the page number at top right is worn and only "page" can be read. Bernard de montfaucon (1655 to 1741) was a french benedictine monk and scholar. His l'antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures appeared in paris in 1719, and this english translation by david humphreys, antiquity explained, and represented in sculptures, was printed in london by j. Tonson and j. Watts in 1722. Volume four deals with war, and this plate belongs to its sequence on battle. Montfaucon drew together figures copied from ancient monuments and the publications of earlier antiquaries, and where he named a source he engraved it beside the figure. With no lettering in the image, the sheet reads as pure picture and suits a wide wall. Condition: complete sheet, edges straight and without nicks. Light, uneven toning, lightly soiled along the edges. A few small foxing spots in the margin. A few small light flecks in the printed area. Folding plate with the original center fold. This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed. See less