Aquatint printed on sepia. 50 x 34 cms. The plate comes from the book: "Voyages Pittoresques des isles de Sicile,Malta et Lipari that was published in Paris between 1782-87.The plate represents a view of the Aqueduct of Biscari and named D ´Aragona by Houel. Houel was a draughtman and painter that spent four years travelling through the souther mediterranean islands.the travel was funded by King Louis XVI.The collection of watercolours and paintings is part at the Louvre and abnother part preserved in the Ermitage museum at San Petersbourg. The book had a great success because of the scientific and ethnographic information provided in addition to the extraordinary aesthetic quality of the plates. The book became nowadays extremely rare in the book market . It is considered one of the best book printed in France during the XVIII century.
Ref Blackmer 834, Cohen de Ricci 500