HIDDEN GEMS

The prints and maps listed below are among our favorite and most unusual, but they are items which are not generally known and are not widely popular. These are prints and maps that fall outside the usual areas of collecting or that have an unusual nature, but they are all of considerable interest and value.

We love to acquire such items for our inventory, for they are fun to handle and research and they are excellent examples of what makes antique prints and maps so interesting. These items often stay in our inventory for a long time, as they wait for the right person to find them. We hope you might find your "hidden gem," or at least that you will find it interesting to learn about these wonderful items.

[Victorian mother with children and miniature cart drawn by a white goat, Central Park, New York] Ca. 1870. 17 3/4 x 24 1/4". Lithograph with original hand color. Black printed margins. Very good condition.

A charming and sentimental scene of motherly attendance and affection, set in beautiful Central Park, with the Bow Bridge and Rowboat Lake, complete with swans, in the background. This beautifully hand-colored lithograph is not attributed, though there were hundreds of lithographic firms publishing in the United States at this period, the most famous of which was the firm of Currier and Ives. $525

[Othello meets Desdemona and her father, Brabantio.] Early 20th century. 27 1/2 x 31 1/4". Collotype with extensive hand finishing. Trimmed to image. One expertly repaired tear in image.

A handsome and dramatic scene from early on in the tragic story of love and betrayal. This vibrantly colored print exhibits the deep gemstone hues of the characters' courtly costumes, with a bit of Venetian architecture in the background. Oriental influences in the carpets and other fine decorative elements emphasize Othello's exoticism and physicality. $275

Salvator Rosa (1615-1673). "Belisarius." London: mid to late 18th century. 17 3/4 x 13. Engraving by Sir Robert Strange (1721-1792). Sold at the Golden Hind in Henrietta Street, Covent Garden. Very good condition.

A stirring neoclassical image of the Emperor Justinian's celebrated general, Belisarius. A great military commander in the emperor's attempts to rebuild the Roman Empire, his successes also earned him many enemies. Incriminated in a plot against the emperor in AD 561, his eyes were put out and he was reduced to poverty. Belisarius enduring his situation, the embodiment of patriotism, was often portrayed by French and English painters in the 18th century. Jacques-Louis David's painting of the same subject became a symbol of the French Revolution. As he was often portrayed, the great general is seen here begging for alms, situated ironically among the ruins of a monument to military triumph. Several faces peer at the blind hero as one onlooker, perhaps a former soldier, seems to describe his history and the travesty of his situation. This English engraving after 17th century Italian master Salvator Rosa's painting is a superb example of the genre and the period. $275

Plate VIII from series of cavalry prints. 18th century engraving, ca. 23 x 35. Very good condition.

This comes from an eighteenth century series of very large engravings showing scenes related to French cavalry troops. These double page (with folds) images were drawn by Van Blarenberghe and engraved by skilled craftsmen. The prints show scenes of training the horses, troops in formation, plans of attack, and so forth. They are dramatic, finely engraved, and fascinating. $500
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