Holy Land View by David Roberts
19th Century Hand-colored Lithographs

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Ras el Abiad

Ras el Abiad, Coast of Syria [present day Lebanon] (above) with details below

Detail of birds on rocks
Detail of travelers on mountain trail
David Roberts (1796-1864) (after)
Louis Haghe (1806-1885) (lithographer)
Ras el Abiad. Coast of Syria. April 26th, 1839
[Present-day Lebanon]
from The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt and Nubia
F.G. Moon, London: 1842-49
Hand-colored lithograph, tipped on board, as issued
14 x 20 inches, lithograph
17 x 23 inches, overall
Sold, please inquire as to the availability of similar items.

Landscape from British artist David Robert’s monumental series of views of ancient sites in current day Israel, Egypt, and other parts of the Middle East, showing what is known today as Ras el Biyada, a spur of Mohafazat Mont-Liban about 15 miles inland from Beirut in Lebanon.  In this scenic vista, the waters of a large river converge upon an area of rapids among a range of mountains as a flock of birds migrates across the background.  A few birds perch on a rock in the lower portion of the image and two men on horseback travel with three men on foot on a path toward the right.

In the second quarter of the 19th century, Roberts recorded broad vistas of the ancient world with local inhabitants, as well as detailed studies of classical architectural ruins such as Balbec and Petra.  These pictures were published in a magnificent series of lithographs in creamy earth tones, sometimes tinted, sometimes with full color, with accompanying text.  Roberts' work is now regarded as "one of the most important and elaborate ventures of nineteenth-century publishing, and...the apotheosis of the tinted lithograph."

David Roberts was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.  He began his career as a house painter and by 1816 was painting stage scenery for the theatre.  In 1820 he met Clarkson Stanfield, who encouraged him as an artist, and in 1821 he moved to London, where he worked with Stanfield on sets at the Drury Lane Theatre.  Roberts exhibited at the first show held by the Society of British Artists, and was able to become a full-time fine art painter in 1830.  During the early 1830s he began to produce the sketches of foreign lands that were to make him famous, beginning with Spain.  In 1838 and 1839 he undertook an extensive and adventurous journey to Alexandria, Cairo and other places in the Middle East, making extensive sketches.  In the 1840s, over a period of seven years, his lithographs were published in 41 parts in The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt and Nubia. The works have proved to have lasting popularity and have been republished many times, most recently in 1989.  Roberts also produced an illustrated work on Italy in the 1850s.  His paintings are in many museum collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Louis Haghe was a Belgian-born painter, watercolorist and lithographer, who spent his career in England after arriving in London in 1823.  In 1830, he and his partner William Day formed the successful lithography firm of Day & Haghe, where they were known for their advanced work in color lithography.  In 1838 they were appointed lithographers to Queen Victoria. Haghe was also one of the founders of the New Society of Painters in Water-Colours and served several years as president.  As a watercolorist, his principal subjects were rural landscapes and villages in the North of France and the Low Countries.  His major works also include three volumes of lithographs based on sketches of Germany and Belgium, published in London between 1840 and 1850.  During his long career he frequently exhibited his works in Paris and London.  Today his watercolors are in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the art museums of Brussels, Leicester, Manchester and other cities.

References:

Abbey, J.R.  Travel in Aquatint and Lithograph 1770-1860.  San Francisco: Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, 1991 (reprint of 1957 edition).  272, 385.

Bénézit, E. Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs.  France: Librairie Gründ, 1966.  Vol. 4, p. 551.

"David Roberts." The Grove Dictionary of Art. New York: Macmillan. 2000. Artnet.com. http://www.artnet.com/library/07/0724/T072403.asp (31 March 2003).

David Roberts’ Egypt and the Holy Land.  London: The Schuster Gallery, 1987.  Items 44, 63, 79.

"David Roberts, RA." Bob Speel. http://www.speel.demon.co.uk/artists2/roberts.htm (31 March 2003).

Sim, Katharine.  David Roberts R.A. 1796-1864, A Biography.  London: Quartet, 1984.