1930 Ethiopian Begena King David's Harp Musician Africa - ORIGINAL AF2

This is an original 1930 photogravure of an African musician playing an Ethiopian begena or King David's harp in the city of Axum or Aksum, Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia), Africa. Photograph by Von Lüpke, Deutsche Aksum-Expedition.

Period Paper is pleased to offer an exceptional collection of historic original photogravures of the architecture, landscape, and people of Africa. The world's second largest and second most populous continent, Africa was often referred to as "The Dark Continent" because it was largely unknown and mysterious to 19th century Europeans. The actual border around the photogravure is larger than what is shown in the digital image and each image has a caption in French, English, Italian and German, 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" above 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 81+ year old Item is rated Near Mint. No aging. No creases. No surface rub. No tears. No water damage. Please note that there is printing on the reverse.

• Product Type: Original Photogravure; Black & White / Grayscale
• Grade: Near Mint
• Dimensions: Approximately 6 x 8.25 inches; 15 x 21 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)

AF2C30 zz1051,