This inventive engraving was drawn by Johann Degler and engraved by Joseph a Montelegre. This scene illustrates both the prodigious arts and sciences of ancient Greece, and the downfall of modern Greece due to Ottoman rule. At left, a three-story building represents ancient Greece with muses, seven wise men, and Aristotle. The smaller building at right represents modern Greece with "Turkish tyranny," in which arts and sciences have been exiled and Greece is under siege and filled with ruins. In the background, Alexander the Great's army conquers all, and the Colossus of Rhodes is shown prior to the earthquake that destroyed it in 226 BC. A pair of cherubs hold the baroque cartouche and also illustrate Greece's transition from "laurels" to "thorns."

References: Shirley (BL Atlases) T.SHER-1a #93.

Condition: A+

A sharp impression on a bright sheet with very minor toning along the edges.