Interior of Porto Santo.

Title

Interior of Porto Santo.

Description

View shows the view of Pico do Facho, highest mountain on Porto Santo Island. Published by Engelmann, Graf, Coindel & Co.

ca. 1825

Artist

Gauci

William Gauci (1825-1854) was a lithographer and artist. Son of Maxim (Massim)] Gauci (1774-1854), a Maltese lithographer who worked in the United Kingdom in the 19th century, and the brother of Paul Gauci (1830-1860). His father Maxim was an early exponent of lithography for botanical illustrations and ran a successful business in London, located at 9 North Crescent, Bedford Square, in which both his sons were involved. Together they were among the leading lithographers of their time.

Historical Description

Madeira is a Portuguese island, and is the largest and most populous of the Madeira Archipelago. Madeira was claimed by Portuguese sailors in the service of Prince Henry the Navigator in 1419 and settled after 1420. The archipelago is considered to be the first territorial discovery of the exploratory period of the Age of Discovery. The region has political and administrative autonomy through the Administrative Political Statue of the Autonomous Region of Madeira provided for in the Portuguese Constitution. The autonomous region is an integral part of the European Union as an outermost region.