Sale 214 Lot 210

Traite des Nègres sur la Côte d'Afrique (Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa) Unframed. This late 18th-century French engraving, titled Traite des Nègres sur la Côte d'Afrique (Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa), offers a hauntingly detailed visualization of the logistics behind the Atlantic slave trade. The composition centers on a large three-masted merchant vessel, labeled Le Vaisseau Marchand l'Européen, anchored off the West African coast as a symbol of the maritime technology that facilitated the Middle Passage. The scene captures the movement of enslaved individuals being led in chains toward the shore, where they are then transported in longboats (chaloupes) to the larger ship for embarkation. While the imagery of small coastal huts and stylized landscapes represents the various trading posts and forts established by European powers like France, Britain, and Portugal, the engraving served a dual purpose as both a historical record and a tool for abolitionist critique. Produced during an era of immense political upheaval, these visuals documented the mechanics of the trade just as the French National Convention moved to temporarily abolish slavery in 1794, reflecting the growing tension between colonial commerce and revolutionary ideals of human rights. Image: 5.5 x 9.5 inches; sheet: 8.5 x 11 inches
$120-160