"Attack With a Battering Ram": An 18th Century Engraving by Montfaucon, 1719

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This early original copper-plate engraving entitled "Attaque avec le Belier" from 'L'antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures' (Antiquity Explained and … Read more This early original copper-plate engraving entitled "Attaque avec le Belier" from 'L'antiquité expliquée et représentée en figures' (Antiquity Explained and Represented in Diagrams), published in Paris in 1719 by Bernard de Montfaucon. It depicts an ancient Roman bas relief scene illustrating a Roman method of attacking a foe with a battering ram.

This early 18th century engraving is presented in an attractive ornate black wood frame with a cream-colored double mat with a thin black inner mat. It is glazed with plexiglass. The print, frame, mat and glazing are in excellent condition.

Dom Bernard de Montfaucon (1655-1741) was a French Benedictine monk of the Congregation of Saint Maur. He was an academic scholar who founded the discipline of palaeography (the study of old handwriting and texts so that ancient manuscripts can be deciphered, read and studied). He is also regarded as one of the founders of modern archaeology. In 1719, Montfaucon was named by Philippe II, Duke of Orléans and younger brother of King Louis XIV to the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. Also in 1719, after the death of the Jesuit priest, Michel Le Tellier (1643-1719), confessor to the late King Louis XIV, Montfaucon then became confessor to the young King Louis XV. See less