CONDITION REPORT

Good antique condition with considerable age-related character. The paper has overall toning, scattered pale spotting, minor marks and some variation in colour consistent with its age.

A noticeable horizontal fixing or mounting line runs across the upper part of the print and is clearly visible through the sky. Its precise cause cannot be confirmed while the work remains framed. Selective applied colour is visible within the scene.

Presented beneath glass with a decorative mount and slender gilt-coloured frame. The frame has general surface wear, rubbing and small marks.

The etching has not been removed from the frame, so its concealed edges and reverse have not been examined.

Please study all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition report.

DESCRIPTION

An original Georgian topographical etching titled “The Chapel & Baths,” depicting the chapel and bath house at Tunbridge Wells, Kent. The detailed scene includes figures, horses and a carriage in the foreground.

The scene was drawn by Paul Amsinck and etched by British engraver Letitia Byrne (1779–1849). The printed publication line beneath the image reads:

“London Published by Edmund Lloyd, Harley Street, May 1, 1809.”

This original etching was produced as a book plate for Paul Amsinck’s “Tunbridge Wells and Its Neighbourhood, Illustrated by a Series of Etchings and Historical Descriptions,” published by William Miller and Edmund Lloyd in 1810. The individual plate bears the earlier publication date of 1 May 1809.

The etching was subsequently mounted, glazed and framed for display. It is an original period impression rather than a modern reproduction.

Selective colouring appears to have been applied separately, although the precise colouring method cannot be confirmed while the work remains framed.

Approximate measurements:

Overall frame: 31.5 × 28 cm

Visible print: 20 × 16 cm

An attractive early-19th-century view with particular appeal to collectors of Kent, Tunbridge Wells, Georgian architecture and antique British topographical prints.

Carefully packaged and dispatched via Royal Mail Tracked 48.