1929 Photogravure Angkor Wat Vishnu Churning of the Sea of Milk Hindu Creation

This is an original 1929 photogravure of the "Churning of the Sea of Milk" of Angkor Wat in Angkor, Cambodia (Kampuchea). Angkor Wat was built for King Suryavarman II in the 12th century, and is the world's largest religious building. The temple represents Mount Meru, the sacred mountain in both Hinduism and Buddhism. Originally, the temple was Hindu, and later Buddhist. The relief describes the Hindu creation story. Vishnu is in the middle of the relief and churns the sea with the help of a long serpent and demons and deities. The photographer of this image is Dr. Martin Hürlimann of Berlin, Germany. His photographs were largely composed of cities and civilizations, and taken mostly with a Sinclair camera.

Period Paper is pleased to offer an exceptional collection of historic original photogravures of the landscape, architecture, and people of Ceylon and Indochina including the present-day countries of Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos, and Yunnan, a Province of southwestern China. The actual border around the photogravure is larger than what is shown in the digital image, and each image usually has a caption in German, English, French, and Italian which will be included with the item when shipped. However, we wanted to show you the actual image up close and the dimensions provided next to the "Size" indicate the size of the actual photogravure only. The total size is approximately two inches larger in width and height. These original photogravures are not to be confused with the more common halftone prints. Each of these photogravures was created from an engraved plate and provides exceptional detail, contrast, warmth, and depth, making them excellent original images for framing.

The Photogravure Process. A photogravure is a photographic image produced from an engraving plate--an expensive and rarely used process today. Through the transfer of etching ink from an etched copperplate to special dampened paper run through an etching press, this process creates an image that registers an extraordinary variety of tones. This unique tonal range comes from photogravure's variable depth of etch--the shadows are etched many times deeper than the highlights unlike the halftone processes that merely vary dot size. The prints produced via this process have the subtle tones of a photograph and the art quality of a lithograph, making them extraordinarily collectible items.

CONDITION

This 82+ year old Item is rated Near Mint / Very Fine. No creases. No natural defects. No surface rub. No tears. No water damage. Please note that there is printing on the reverse.

• Product Type: Original Photogravure; Black / White
• Grade: Near Mint / Very Fine
• Dimensions: Approximately 8.25 x 6.25 inches; 21 x 16 cm
• Authentication: Serial-Numbered Certificate of Authenticity w/ Full Provenance
• Protection: Packaged in a custom archival sleeve with an acid-free black board (great for display, gift-giving, and preservation)

INC1C29