Chios - O. Dapper 1703

📜 Description
Original antique engraved and hand-colored view depicting the island and fortified city of Chios, published in Amsterdam in 1703 as part of Olfert Dapper’s Description exacte des isles de l’archipel, et de quelques autres adjacentes. The work represents the harbor and principal urban center of the Greek island within the context of the Eastern Aegean, following a panoramic composition consistent with early 18th-century Dutch geographical and descriptive publishing. The scene unfolds through an articulated coastal panorama animated by ships, bastions, harbor structures, fortifications, and hilly landscapes defining the natural setting of the island. In the foreground, naval scenes with armed vessels, maritime activity, and defensive structures emphasize the strategic role of Chios within Mediterranean and Levantine trade routes. The engraved title “Chios,” placed within a flowing cartouche in the upper section of the plate, guides the geographical reading of the composition and gives prominence to the urban representation. The engraved line, precise and orderly, provides a clear reading of the architectural and landscape ensemble, balancing documentary function with picturesque rendering. The period hand-coloring, clearly visible along coastlines, architectural elements, and vessels, enhances both the decorative impact of the scene and the legibility of the urban structure. A representative example of Dutch publishing dedicated to the description of the Greek Archipelago, the plate constitutes a significant testimony to the European representation of the Aegean world during the early modern period.

📚 Historical-Artistic Note
Olfert Dapper ranks among the principal authors of geographical and descriptive works between the 17th and 18th centuries, distinguished by the breadth of his publications devoted to the Mediterranean, the Levant, and extra-European territories. His illustrated works, enriched with topographical engravings and panoramic views, achieved wide circulation thanks to the quality of Amsterdam publishing houses. The plate belongs to the Description exacte des isles de l’archipel, et de quelques autres adjacentes, conceived as a geographical and descriptive repertory of the principal islands of the Eastern Mediterranean. Works of this type testify to the European interest in the geographical and commercial knowledge of the Greek Archipelago.

🧾 Technical Details
Title: Chios
Type: Antique view / original engraving
Author / Cartographer / Manufacture: Olfert Dapper
Designer / Engraver: not indicated
Publisher / Printer: G. Gallet
Place: Amsterdam
Period: 1703
Material: Paper
Technique: Etching
Coloring: Period hand-coloring
Edition / Print Run: from Description exacte des isles de l’archipel, et de quelques autres adjacentes
Dimensions: sheet 35.5 × 41 cm; engraved area 29 × 36.5 cm

🔍 Condition Report
Sheet in excellent overall condition. Professional restoration along the central fold. Engraved surface well impressed and clearly legible. Period hand-coloring well preserved. Blank verso.