Entrance to Nablous, David Roberts Holy Land. c1842
$220.00
Fine hand-coloured lithograph after David Roberts watercolour c1839 (April 17th).
Born in Scotland and apprenticed to a house painter and decorator, David Roberts, R.A. (1796-1842) studied art in the evenings. He became a respected designer and painter of stage scenery for theatres in Edinburgh and London. He began painting landscapes and exhibited at the Fine Arts Instition in Edinburgh. (In 1821 while doing oil paintings of landscapes he met William Clarkson Stanfield who became a famous artist of land and seascapes.) In 1822 he exhibited at the British Institution and the Society of British Artists. As well as English and Scottish scenes, Roberts painted in France and the Low Countries. By 1829 he was working full-time as an artist, and in 1831 was elected president of the Society of British Artists. In 1832 he travelled to Spain and Tangiers, and as his paintings became popular, in 1837 he began producing lithographs of his work.
When Egypt was in vogue, in 1838 David Roberts began a long tour of Egypt, Nubia, the Sinai, the Holy Land, Jordan and Lebanon. He sketched and painted an enormous number of watercolours. On his return to Britain, Roberts solicited subscribers (including Queen Victoria) to finance his work, and with lithographer Louis Haghe, from 1842 to 1849 produced lavish hand-coloured lithographs for David Roberts’ Sketches in the Holy Land and Syria, and Egypt and Nubia.
This beautiful lithograph is in good condition and measures 247 x 342mm (9.75 x 13.5 inches). It was printed on the upper half of a tall page with text below and on reverse.
