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 Al-Maharraqa, dedicated to the gods Isis and Serapis. It was originally built in Al-Maharraqa, about 90 miles south of Aswan at the southern extreme of the Roman Empire. In the 1960s, it was relocated to the New Wadi es-Sabua and sits alongside two other temples (Wadi-es Sebua and Dakka). 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 17.2 x 14.2".

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Condition: A

On a sturdy sheet with two small pinholes in the bottom corners of the image. There are tiny binding holes along the left sheet edge.