Adam's Country House Collections 12th & 13th October 2020

156 Country House Collections DAVID ROBERTS, RA (SCOTTISH, 1796 -1864) A COLLECTION OF 45 FRAMED LITHOGRAPHS (LOTS 510 - 513) FROM THE NUBIA, EGYPT AND THE HOLY LAND SERIES. Roberts was a Scottish painter who was known for his prolific series of lithographs of Egypt and Near Asia. The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia were a comprehensive travelogue of 19th century. Louis Haghe, produced 250 lithographs based on Roberts’ watercolour sketches. Roberts began travelling in the area in the late summer of 1838, sailing to Alexandria. For eleven months he travelled along the Nile, across deserts and mountains, arriving in Palestine in February 1839. From Gaza he travelled to Jerusalem, and continued north into Lebanon. He returned to England at the end of 1839 after falling ill. Roberts was the first professional artist to visit the Near East without a patron or a connection to a military expedition or missionary group. The work was first published as a subscription service between 1842 - 1849 as two separate publications which were accompanied by historical textual notes. Queen Victoria was an early subscriber to the series and her complete set is housed in the Royal collection. It exceeded all other lithographic projects of the period in terms of scale and as one of the most expensive publications of the 19th century. It was considered an art-publishing sensation of the mid-Victorian age and is con- sidered to be amongst the most pervasive and lasting depictions of the East in Western society. As John Ruskin wrote they make “true portraiture of scenes of historical and religious interest. They are faithful and laborious beyond any outlines from nature I have ever seen.” (Ruskin, Praeterita: outlines of scenes and thoughts, perhaps worthy of memory in my past life, G. Allen, Orpington, 1886 -1900, p.34) The series can be seen, with its depiction of ruins, statues and temples some which no longer exist, as an important document of the time and people who lived there. In particular his series of Nubia which depicts views of ancient statues of Memnon and excavation sites of temples such as at Gyrsche and Aboo Simbel. It cannot be denied that Roberts translated the area into a picturesque landscape which was suited to the Western gaze. Societies of the mid-19th cen - tury had keen interest in the Near East, with all things Egyptian particularly in vogue. There was a fascination in Britain and mainland Europe for the antiquities and people were keen to purchase works inspired by the great temples and monuments of Pharaohs. One must also remember these works came out before there was any photographic documentation of the ancient sites and thus served as some of the earliest topographical depictions of the areas. It is believed that Roberts’ work from the series ‘The Temple at Dendur, Nubia’ may even have influenced the actual temple’s preservation in the 1960s. Niamh Corcoran, September 2020 510 DAVID ROBERTS, RA (SCOTTISH, 1796 -1864) A COLLECTION OF 13 FRAMED LITHOGRAPHS FROM THE NUBIA SERIES, COMPRISING: 1. The sanctuary of the Great Temple of Aboo-Simbel, Nubia, 25.5 x 32 cm 2. Fragments of the Great Colossi at the Memnomium, 35 x 51 cm 3. Entrance to the Great Temple of Aboo Simbel, Nubia (cover plate), 49 x 35 cm 4. Temple of Wady Saboua, Nubia, 27 x 36 cm 5. The Colossus in front of the Temple of Wady Saboua, Nubia 36 x 26 cm 6. Excavated Temple of Gyrsche, Nubia, 25 x 20 cm 7. Temple of Tafa in Nubia, 26 x 37 cm 8. Interior of the Temple of Wady Saboua, Nubia, 25 x 35 cm 9. View of temple ruins with resting figures in Nubia, 28 x 39 10. Interior temple ruins in Nubia, 26 x 35 cm 11. View of the statues of Memnon in Nubia, 27 x 37 cm 12. Entrance to the ruin of the Temple of Luxor, Nubia, 32 x 26 cm 13. View of remnants of Nubian Temple, 25 x 40 cm € 3,000 – 4,000