Hand Colored Engraving by Dibdiin / Catherwood: View of Old Damascus in Syria

Surely a palm leans over a town of domes and thin towers, with a picnic in front

This hand colored engraving is from View of Old Damascus in Syria, and is dated 1836. It is ink on paper. The Finden brothers engraved biblical scenes after J.M.W. Turner for the 1836 book Landscape Illustrations of the Bible, and Turner relied on sketches by artists who had visited the Holy Lands. Here is a hand-colored view of a tall palm at left, dark rooftops and minarets across the middle, and a group of seated figures in bright clothes on the grass. It is 9.3 inches wide and 6.3 high.

The palm gets the best seat and does not intend to share.