The Citadel of Cairo: 19th C. Hand-colored Roberts Lithograph

This is one of Roberts' most famous and collectible works. The scene captures a view of the magnificent ruins of Petra in what is Jordan today, as it appeared on March 8, 1839, on the day of Roberts' visit. Multiple Arab men are approaching Petra; some on foot and others riding camels. They are dressed in their colorful local costumes. Roberts' signature and hand written date are reproduced in the plate on the left.

This hand-colored lithograph is printed on wove paper with wide margins. There is some loss of color in the text in the title and a faint dark curvilinear area in the upper right. The print is otherwise in very good condition. It is presented in a gold-colored wood frame with a tan mat. It is glazed with UV protected conservation glass. All framing materials used are archival museum quality. The frame measures 23.63" high and 29" wide.

David Roberts (1796-1864) was a Scottish painter who specialized in landscapes, architectural subjects, and scenes from the Middle East and Europe. Born in Edinburgh, Roberts began his career at age ten as an apprentice to a house painter and eventually became a scene painter for theater companies in Edinburgh and London. In the 1820s, J. M. W. Turner recognized his artistic talent and encouraged him to become a full-time artist. He began to focus on painting landscapes and architecture. In 1838 he traveled to Egypt and soon after to the Holy Land, concluding in Jerusalem. Roberts' travels in the Middle East had a profound impact on his art, and he produced a series of highly detailed and realistic paintings and sketches of the region's famous ruins and other landmarks, including the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the Temple of Abu Simbel and Cairo. Upon his return to England, F. G. Moon agreed to publish duotone lithographs and often hand- colored lithographs created by Louis Haghe from Robert’s sketches and watercolors. The resultant lithographs from Roberts' tour of the Holy Land and Egypt were collated together into folios and released over a seven year period by the publisher Moon. These publications were highly acclaimed and very popular for their esthetic quality, historical and topographical accuracy, and Robert’s dramatic depiction of his scenes. Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens were among the subscribers who collected his works. These works helped to popularize and enhance the fascination with the mysterious Orient and Middle East that was prevalent in Europe at the time. Roberts works led to his election to the prestigious Royal Academy in London. Roberts' lithographs remain extremely sought-after today and can be found in major museums and collections around the world. They have been steadily appreciating in value.