Abdallah-Ebn-Souhoud, Chef des Wahabites.

One of the first Western prints of a Saudi ruler

Engraved portrait, within wood engraved border, measuring 191 by 132mm (on a sheet measuring 270 by 182mm). Sheet slightly dust-soiled and spotted. [Paris], Bénard, Galerie Vivienne,

Scarce engraving of Abdullah bin Saud Al Saud (d.1819), the Emir of Diriyah from 1814-18. He was the last ruler of the First Saudi State, which came to its end after a long siege by the Egyptian-Ottoman army under Ibrahim Pasha.

Abdullah was the first Saudi leader to be represented in Western print, firstly with a full-length portrait after a drawing by Pascal Coste, in the atlas accompanying Félix Mengin's Histoire de l'Égypte (Paris, 1823). This bust portrait is clearly based on that image, and is an attractive and detailed realisation of his face in profile, using the dot-and-lozenge engraving technique.

Engravings of foreign rulers were common fare in print shops throughout Western Europe, often published in sets and series. This particular engraving was part of a series titled 'Galerie Napoleon', but it is unclear whether there was a portfolio (and standard collation) or if the prints were separately issued.

Stock Code: 195759