The Holy Land and Egypt
David Roberts, 1844-49
David Roberts, 1844-49
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David Roberts (1796-1864)
Louis Haghe (lithographer) The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt and Nubia F. G. Moon, London: 1844-49 Hand-colored lithograph 17 x 24 Inches Balbec (top): $1,600 Sabaste, Ancient Samaria (bottom): $950 Others Available: $450 to $1,600 each |
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Balbec depicts a view of the gleaming ruins of Balbec in Syria; a few men in robes and turbans give a sense of scale to the immense wall and columns. Balbec (also spelled Baalbec) is a ruined city located 43 miles northwest of Damascus. The Greek named the city Heliopolis, "City of the Sun," because of the famous ruins of the temple of the sun. Balbec's other ancient remains include two other temples, columns, altars, and the vestiges of the city walls.
Sabaste, Ancient Samaria shows a view of turbaned men, some on horseback, at Sabaste in the Hills of Ephraim, the central region of present-day Israel. Sabaste was originally called Samaria and had been the capital of Israel during the Divided Kingdom, and Samaria became the name for the entire northern region. Herod built the fortress of Sabaste over the ruins of Samaria on top of a mountain. He ordered the construction of an enormous colonnade of imported marble leading from the base of the mountain to the summit. In the mid 19th century, British artist David Roberts traveled to current day Israel, Egypt, and other parts of the Middle East. He recorded broad vistas of the ancient world with local inhabitants, as well as detailed studies of classical architectural ruins such as Balbec. These pictures were published in a magnificent series of lithographs in creamy earth tones, sometimes tinted, sometimes with full color, with accompanying text. Roberts' monumental work is regarded as "one of the most important and elaborate ventures of nineteenth-century publishing, and... the apotheosis of the tinted lithograph." Abbey Travel 272, 341, 385; Tooley 401-2. David Roberts was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and began as a house painter and by 1816 was painting stage scenery for the theatre. In 1820 he met Clarkson Stanfield, who encouraged him in an art career, and in 1821 he moved to London, where he worked with Stansfield at the Drury Lane Theatre. Roberts exhibited at the first show held by the Society of British Artists, and was able to give up theatre and become a full-time painter in 1830. During the early 1830s he began to produce the sketches of foreign lands that were to make him famous, beginning with a set on Spain. In the late 1830s he undertook an extensive and adventurous journey to Alexandria, Cairo and other places in the Middle East. The resulting lithographs of the Holy Land and Syria were published in six volumes in the 1840s. Although he initially had trouble finding a publisher for his Middle Eastern views, the works have proved to have lasting popularity and have been republished many times, most recently in 1989. He also produced a work on Italy in the 1850s. Roberts' paintings are in many museum collections, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. References: "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, RA." Bob Speel. http://www.speel.demon.co.uk/artists2/roberts.htm (31 March 2003). "Herod." Jewish Virtual Library. 2003. http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/Herod.html (5 August 2003). |