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 both the Bab en Nasr gate and Al-Hakim Mosque. The gate was constructed in 1087 and is one of only three remaining in Cairo's old city wall. The mosque was completed in 1013 and was used for a variety of purposes over the centuries. It was renovated in 1980 and returned to its original purpose as a religious center for the city. 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 16.4 x 15.5".

References:

Condition: A

On a bright sturdy sheet with a hint of toning along the sheet edges.