Fodina ferrea Danmorensis – A Danish Iron Mine (Aubry de La Mottraye's "Travels throughout Europe, Asia and into Part of Africa...," London, 1724, vol. II, pl. 35)

Fodina ferrea Danmorensis – A Danish Iron Mine (Aubry de La Mottraye's "Travels throughout Europe, Asia and into Part of Africa...," London, 1724, vol. II, pl. 35) is an important early illustrative work by William Hogarth, dating to 1723-1724. This highly detailed print served as Plate 35 in the second volume of Aubry de La Mottraye’s comprehensive Travels throughout Europe, Asia and into Part of Africa..., a major example of eighteenth-century travel literature. Hogarth executed the image using the combined techniques of etching and engraving, techniques essential for the accurate reproduction of technical and geographical imagery in published books. The work is cataloged as the desirable first state of two, showcasing the artist's developing proficiency in printmaking before he gained renown for his complex narrative painting and sequential prints.

The piece functions as a visual record, documenting the operations of a Danish iron mine. It captures the Georgian era’s intense interest in industry, technology, and global resource acquisition. While depicting a specific industrial site, the composition incorporates the clarity and precision common to maps and topographical views of the period, serving as a geographical and scientific record required by the accompanying text. Hogarth utilized the crisp, controlled lines of the engraving needle to accurately render the structures of the mine and the specific details of the surrounding terrain, focusing on the documentary function of the print.

This significant historical print is part of the extensive collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a commercially produced illustrated plate, this print demonstrates the critical role that visual media played in disseminating knowledge during the early eighteenth century. Today, this early example of Hogarth's illustrative capacity is widely utilized, contributing significantly to the catalog of available historical prints found within the public domain.