Convent Catherine Mount Sinai Looking by Roberts David (3 results)

c. 61 x 44 cm. Original tinted lithograph later hand colour. Full page. Roberts was the first independent, professional British artist to travel so extensively in the Near East. His tour in 1838-9 produced 272 sketches, a panorama of Cairo and three full sketchbooks, enough material to "serve me for the rest of my life" (Roberts, eastern journal, 28 Jan 1839). Over the next decade he made "a series of intire new drawings" for the large coloured lithographs executed by Louis Haghe for The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia, which was originally published by subscription, 1842-9. No publication before this had presented so comprehensive a series of views of the monuments, landscape, and people of the Near East. "Robert's Holy Land was one of the most important and elaborate ventures of nineteenth-century publishing, and it was the apotheosis of the tinted lithograph" (Abbey, Travel). These lithographs were originally published in twenty parts, most parts containing six plates, the price for each part with coloured plates (the most expensive state) being 3 guineas.

Original hand-coloured lithograph on fine paper mounted on card as issued from the subscription edition of Roberts' 'Holy Land'. Some light foxing and wrinkling otherwise very good. David Roberts' magnificent images of Egypt and the Holy Land rank amongst the finest topographical views of the nineteenth century. Roberts made a two-year journey to the Middle-East commencing in 1838, and whilst there executed numerous watercolours from which the finest were selected for the publication; The lithographs were executed by Louis Haghe. In order to help fund the project, Roberts produced a deluxe subscription edition, from which this lithograph was taken, which is notable for being the only edition to have original hand-colour, which would have been executed under the direction of the artist. Abbey 272.

Original hand-coloured lithograph on fine paper mounted on card as issued from the subscription edition of Roberts' "The Holy Land", wrinkling on the right, otherwise a good copy with clean bright colours. David Roberts' magnificent images of Egypt and the Holy Land rank amongst the finest topographical views of the nineteenth century. Roberts made a two-year journey to the Middle-East commencing in 1838, and whilst there executed numerous watercolours from which the finest were selected for the publication; The lithographs were executed by Louis Haghe. In order to help fund the project, Roberts produced a deluxe subscription edition, from which this lithograph was taken, which is notable for being the only edition to have original hand-colour, which would have been executed under the direction of the artist. Abbey 385.