Coastal View of a Port City in the Levant
ca. 1770
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 13 9/16 × 17 1/2 in. (34.4 × 44.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.600.1621
Art Historical Context
In the late 18th century, artist Joseph Vernet, a master of marine painting renowned for his luminous seascapes and port views, captured the exotic allure of the Levant—a region encompassing the eastern Mediterranean coast under Ottoman rule. This engraving, titled *Coastal View of a City in the Levant* created around 1770, likely reproduces one of Vernet's detailed compositions. Pierre Aveline, a skilled engraver, translated Vernet's vision onto the plate, preserving the artist's intricate depictions of bustling harbors, sailing ships, and distant minarets against a shimmering sea. Vernet's s...
About the Artist
Aveline|Joseph Vernet (French) · 1718 –1780
French, Paris 1718–1780 London