Framed and on the wall
Frame and rooms are illustrations of how the print could look; the description says what is included.
Elephant Fight in India, Spearmen and Horsemen, Antique Engraving, 1859
€200 ($225, £170, €200)
Period original, not a reproduction.
Shipped from the Netherlands, flat, insured and tracked, worldwide. Returns accepted within 14 days.
- Date
- 1859
- Technique
- Steel Engraving
- Coloring
- Uncolored
- Condition
- Good. Light handling wear to the bottom left corner; edges straight and without nicks. Even age toning, soiled along all four edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin.
- Period
- Late 19th century
- Section
- Mammals
- Reference
- BG-00114-12
What the condition grades mean
- Excellent
- Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
- Very good
- Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
- Good
- Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
- Fair
- Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
An original antique steel engraving, uncolored, titled "GEVECHT VAN OLIFANTEN." Two elephants clash head to head in the center of an open field, trunks raised and tusks locked, each with a rider clinging to its back above a fringed saddle cloth. Dust and trampled grass rise around their feet. At the left a horseman with a lance and a group of men on foot advance with long spears leveled, while at the right another rider gallops toward the fight with his lance couched. Behind them a large crowd watches from in front of a wooden pavilion with a tiered roof, and tall palms and dense trees close the scene on both sides beneath a hazy sky.
The plate is lettered below the image in Dutch: "GEVECHT VAN OLIFANTEN.", which translates as "Fight of elephants". Beneath the caption, in a small script, is the publisher's imprint "Uitg Gebrs Kraaÿ Amsterdam.", short for uitgegeven (published) by the Kraay brothers of Amsterdam. No artist or engraver is named on the plate.
The source is Britsch-Indië, beschreven naar de nieuwste bronnen by A. van Otterloo (Amsterdam, Gebroeders Kraay, 1859), the Eerste Deel of the series Vreemde Landen en Volken, a set of books on foreign countries and their peoples. Its title page promises Met Vier-en-Twintig Staalgravuren en eene Kaart, that is, with twenty-four steel engravings and a map, and this plate is one of those engravings.
Staged elephant fights were a court entertainment in India, held before the ruler and his guests. The movement of the charging figures gives this plate a vivid energy that stands out in a group of quieter views.
Condition: Light handling wear to the bottom left corner; edges straight and without nicks. Even age toning, soiled along all four edges. Scattered light foxing in the margin.
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.
