English Engraving, Framed

Gently, a carved panel gets all the attention while a seated figure looks on

This engraving is from England, United Kingdom, and is dated 1860. It is ink on paper. Thomas Allom, an architect and founding member of what became the Royal Institute of British Architects, illustrated books on China in the 1840s without ever making the trip there himself. Very small, a hand-colored view of a carved relief set in a plain wall, with a small figure seated on the right. Muted tan and gray tones dominate. A wide white mat and a pale, leafy molded frame hold it. It is 21.5 inches wide, 1.25 deep and 19.75 high.

A modest picture in a frame with much louder opinions.