"Temple of Isis on the Roof of the Great Temple of Dendera", Roberts, David

Subject: Qism Qena, Egypt

Period: 1848 (dated)

Publication:

Color: Hand Color

Size:

13.9 x 10 inches
35.3 x 25.4 cm

David Roberts, R.A. (1796-1864) was one of the first Europeans to depict the Middle East. Considered a dangerous and barbaric land, it was not until the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt after 1798 that any serious study had been done into the Pharoic culture. Sir Richard Burton's infamous penetration of Mecca did not occur until 1858, twenty years after Roberts painted the wonders of the Moslem world and the Holy Land. The sketchbooks from Roberts' journeys were one of the most popular publications of its time, allowing Victorian Europeans a peek into the exotic world from the comfort of their parlors.

This attractive lithograph depicts the Temple of Isis, built to honor the Egyptian goddess. It was constructed on the roof of the Dendera Temple, which sprawls out over 400,000 square feet on the banks of the Nile River. Produced in the tinted lithograph process and finished by hand with watercolor. Published by F.G. Moon in London. English text on verso. On a trimmed sheet measuring 16.8 x 13.9".

References:

Condition: A

On a bright sturdy sheet with a bit of soiling in the margins.