Kittim, Cyprus
Creator:
Harding, James Duffield, 1798-1863
Date:
1836
Medium:
Places:
Inscriptions:
Inscribed in lower left recto: Drawn by J. D. Harding from a sketch by Las Casas; Inscribed in lower centre recto: Kittim - Cyprus. View of Larnaca
Description:
James Duffield Harding was a landscape painter and lithographer who perfected litho-tinting. He visited Cyprus on his way back from the Holy Land but it is doubtful if he actually landed on the island. This engraving is based on an engraving by Lois Francois Cassas executed in 1785. The work portrays a view of Larnaca having as its focal point the British Consulate. It was one of the most impressive buildings of the Middle East. Its reception room was described by travelers as the largest in the Near East. The building was bought by the Bishopric of Kition in the early twentieth century and was demolished after years of neglect. The Ottoman figures in the foreground as well as the palm trees place the work under the Orientalist tradition. In juxtaposition to the oriental features, the ancient fragments in the foreground that place it in Larnaca, the ancient Kittim, allude to classical antiquity.
Dimensions:
12 x 16 cm
Signature(s):
Unsigned
Identifier:
PNT-00290
Provenance:
From the book ‘Illustrations from the Biblical landscapes’
Classification:
Collection:
Object Type:
Rights Holder:
© Costas and Rita Severis Foundation
Rights Statement:
The Costas and Rita Severis Foundation holds or manages the copyright(s) of this item and its digital reproduction. If you need information about using this item, please send an email to research@severis.org
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