Bidspirit auction | Antique Engraving of Cairo, Egypt

Antique Engraving of Cairo, Egypt – Alain Manesson Mallet, Paris, 1683 | “CAIRE” from Description de l’Univers | Rare 17th-Century Bird’s-Eye View - A rare original copperplate engraving of Cairo, Egypt, by the renowned French cartographer and engineer Alain Manesson Mallet (c.1630–1706). This view appears as “FIGURE XXVI” in Volume II of Mallet’s celebrated geographical work, Description de l’Univers, first published in Paris in 1683. The engraving presents a bird’s-eye view of the city along the Nile River, with its domed mosques, towers, and ancient structures. In the background, the Pyramids of Giza are prominently depicted. The lively foreground shows travelers and traders on horses and camels, a classic motif in early European depictions of Egypt. The verso text (page 66) describes Cairo’s principal landmarks — the Sultan’s Palace, mosques, hospitals, aqueducts, gardens along the Nile, and the Nilometer on the island of Roda. 📜 Artist: Alain Manesson Mallet (1630–1706) 📘 Source: Description de l’Univers, Vol. II, Paris, 1683 🗺 Subject: Cairo, Egypt 🖨 Technique: Copperplate engraving 📏 Sheet size: approx. 13×21 cm | Image size: approx.14×21 cm 📑 Condition: Very good, clean impression, minor age toning A beautiful and historically important engraving, capturing 17th-century Cairo — a vibrant city straddling the Nile, framed by desert and pyramids — through the eyes of one of France’s most influential early mapmakers.