Interior of the Temple Abu Simbel, Egypt: A 19th C. Lithograph by David Robert
This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "Interior of the Temple of Aboo Simbel" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, published in London by F. G. Moon in 1846. The lithographs were prepared by Louis Haghe (1806-1885) from drawings and paintings by Roberts. The resultant large folio editions of 'The Holy Land' and 'Egypt & Nubia' are considered the greatest lithographically illustrated works issued in the 19th century.
Creator: David Roberts (1796-1864, British)
Creation Year: 1849
Dimensions: Height: 16.75 in (42.55 cm)
Width: 23.75 in (60.33 cm)
Medium: Lithograph
Condition: See description below.
Reference #: 5327
This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "Interior of the Temple of Aboo Simbel" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, published in London by F. G. Moon in 1846. The lithographs were prepared by Louis Haghe (1806-1885) from drawings and paintings by Roberts. The resultant large folio editions of 'The Holy Land' and 'Egypt & Nubia' are considered the greatest lithographically illustrated works issued in the 19th century.
Creator: David Roberts (1796-1864, British)
Creation Year: 1849
Dimensions: Height: 16.75 in (42.55 cm)
Width: 23.75 in (60.33 cm)
Medium: Lithograph
Condition: See description below.
Reference #: 5327
This is an original 19th century duotone lithograph entitled "Interior of the Temple of Aboo Simbel" by David Roberts, from his Egypt and Nubia volumes of the large folio edition, published in London by F. G. Moon in 1846. The lithographs were prepared by Louis Haghe (1806-1885) from drawings and paintings by Roberts. The resultant large folio editions of 'The Holy Land' and 'Egypt & Nubia' are considered the greatest lithographically illustrated works issued in the 19th century.
Creator: David Roberts (1796-1864, British)
Creation Year: 1849
Dimensions: Height: 16.75 in (42.55 cm)
Width: 23.75 in (60.33 cm)
Medium: Lithograph
Condition: See description below.
Reference #: 5327
The print depicts a view of the Interior of the Temple of Abu Simbel (known as the hypostyle hall or pronaos), dedicated to the famous Egyptian pharaoh, Ramesses II. Ramesses II, also known as Ramses II and Ozymandius in Greek. He is considered one of the two greatest pharaohs of the New Kingdom of Egypt. He ruled Egypt from 1279 BC to 1213 BC. He was a warrior king, conducting 15 military campaigns during his reign, as well as a great builder. The print is signed in the plate in the lower right, and titled in the lower left, reportedly in Roberts' hand, as in his original drawing.
Roberts' lithograph depicts two groups of Egyptian men in conversation in the 30 foot high hypostyle hall of the monument, providing perspective to the size of the internal statues, which are much smaller than the immense size of the statues of Ramses II on the outside of the temple. One of the men gestures towards one of the statues. Perhaps he is a tour guide or an archeologist guiding visitors to the site.
Abu Simbel was moved block by block 656 feet back from the Nile River in the 1960's by an international team of engineers to save it from being submerged in Lake Nasser which was to be created by the building of the Aswan High Dam. It is considered one of the greatest archeological engineering and construction projects in history.
This duotone lithograph is printed on wove paper with wide margins. The sheet measures 16.75" high and 23.75" wide. There is faint toning adjacent to the left, right and lower edges of the sheet, as well as a barely perceptible horizontal crease in the upper margin. These issues would be obscured by a mat when framed. The image portion of the print is in excellent condition.
The drawings and watercolours from Roberts' tour of the Holy Land and Egypt were collated together into folios and released over a seven year period by the publisher F.G. Moon from 20 Threadneedle Street London. This lithograph is from the Royal Subscription Edition (1842-1849) with only 500 copies produced per depiction. Louis Haghe (the Belgian engraver and friend of Roberts) worked on all of the lithographs for this series.
David Roberts (1796-1864) was born outside of Edinburgh, Scotland. At age 10 he became a house painter’s apprentice. He continued painting houses and eventually theater scenes in Edinburgh and then in London. His friend, J. M. W. Turner, recognized his artistic talent and encouraged him to become a full-time artist.
In 1839 Roberts traveled to Egypt and then in 1840, through the Holy Land, concluding in Jerusalem. Upon his return to England, F. G. Moon agreed to publish lithographs created by Louis Haghe from Robert’s sketches and watercolors. This publication was highly acclaimed and very popular for its esthetic quality, its 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. Roberts' and Haghe’s duotone lithographs, often colored, remain extremely sought-after today and have been rising steadily in value.
