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Framed and on the wall
Frame and rooms are illustrations of how the print could look, drawn to its real size; it is sold unframed unless the description says otherwise.
Houses of Worship
Malines Cathedral, Belgium, Antique Steel Engraving by J.J. Crew, circa 1877
Anno Domini MDCCCLXXVIIcirca 1877
€270
$305 · £230
Original print, not a reproduction
Ships worldwide from the Netherlands, flat, insured and tracked. 14-day returns.
- Date
- circa 1877
- Technique
- Steel engraving
- Coloring
- Uncolored
- Condition
- Good. Light age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. Printed image clean.
- Faith
- Christianity
- Collection
- Houses of Worship
- Era
- 1850 and after, Chromolithographs and devotional prints
- Stock no.
- BG-13194-69
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 massive square tower of the cathedral of Malines rises high above a crowded old street in this upright steel engraving, its enormous clock dials and tall pointed openings dwarfing the stepped gables below. In the foreground the cobbled street is busy with townspeople in caps and shawls, women carrying baskets, and covered wagons drawn into the shade. Smoke drifts from the chimneys, shop signs and an awning hang from the houses on the right, and a bright sky with drifting clouds sets off the pale stone of the tower.
The plate is lettered "The Cathedral, Malines." Malines is the French name of Mechelen in Belgium, and its cathedral of St. Rumbold is famous for its great west tower, which was planned to carry a spire that was never built, leaving the tower with its distinctive flat top. The drawing is credited on the sheet to J.L. Wood and the engraving to J.J. Crew, and the imprint is that of Cassell, Petter & Galpin of London.
This is a steel engraving printed in black ink on wove paper, without color. Crew contrasts the light, finely ruled stonework of the tower with the dark, richly textured street, so that the tower seems to rise straight out of the town's daily life.
The tall, narrow format suits a column of wall between windows or a hallway, and it would combine well with other Belgian or Dutch town views in matching frames.
Condition: Light age toning, with light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. The printed image is clean.
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.
