Close-ups
Maritime Wonders: Beached Leviathans of the 19th Century in Siberia, circa 1850
£75 ($100, €90)
Period original, not a reproduction.
Shipped from the Netherlands, flat, insured and tracked, worldwide. Returns accepted within 14 days.
- Date
- 1850
- Size
- 7.1 × 10.6 in (18 × 27 cm)
- Condition
- Fair. Fair condition. Some toning and brown spot, mostly outside the image, due to aging and handling. Study the image carefully.
- Period
- Late 19th century
- Section
- Further natural history
- Reference
- f_37748402
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.
The text in the image is in Italian:
"Balena spinta sulle coste della Siberia."
The phrase mean "Whale stranded on the coasts of Siberia."
The image is a lithograph created by Bertotti and published by Pagnoni in Milan, around 1850. It depicts a large whale that has been beached on the Siberian coast. Several figures, presumably local inhabitants or explorers, are gathered around the immense creature, with some standing on top of it, indicating its massive size. The setting sun (or possibly the moon) in the background casts a soft light over the scene, highlighting the silhouettes of the distant mountains and the whale. This print is likely from a series that documented natural phenomena or geographic explorations common in the 19th century.
