An Ancient Egyptian Temple, on Gebel Garaba - David Roberts
Archival giclée
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Description
A detailed lithograph by David Roberts depicting the ruins of an ancient temple on Gebel Garaba, captured during his travels in the 1830s.
David Roberts, a Scottish painter known for his meticulous documentation of architectural sites, produced this work following his extensive travels through the Near East and Egypt in the late 1830s. This lithograph captures the ruins of a temple situated on Gebel Garaba, a site that reflects the artist's interest in the intersection of geography and historical architecture. The composition employs a wide, elevated perspective, allowing the viewer to observe the weathered stone structures against the arid, undulating terrain of the region.
Roberts utilised a precise, controlled technique to render the textures of the crumbling masonry and the surrounding desert environment. The presence of small figures within the scene provides a sense of scale, contrasting the human element with the permanence of the ancient stone. His work was widely disseminated through the publication of 'Egypt and Nubia', a multi-volume set that brought images of these remote locations to a European audience. The palette remains grounded in natural earth tones, reflecting the sun-bleached quality of the desert light. By focusing on the structural decay and the vastness of the site, Roberts documents the physical reality of the ruins rather than romanticising them through excessive ornamentation. This print offers a clear view of the archaeological interest that defined his career, capturing a moment of quiet observation in a harsh, expansive environment. The work remains a primary source for understanding how 19th-century travellers perceived and recorded the remnants of ancient civilisations.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
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Specific Features
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
An Ancient Egyptian Temple, on Gebel Garaba - David Roberts
Artist Biography
David Roberts
In 1838 he sailed for Egypt and spent the next two years travelling through the Middle East, filling sketchbooks with drawings of temples, mosques, ruins and desert landscapes that almost no British artist had recorded before. To enter the mosques he had to shave off his sideburns, leave his hog-hair brushes behind (the pig being unclean), and wear traditional Arab clothing while he worked. He was one of the first Europeans allowed to paint inside a mosque.
The sketches became The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt and Nubia, a series of 247 lithograph plates produced in collaboration with the printer Louis Haghe between 1842 and 1849. He funded the project through advance subscriptions, soliciting them personally. Queen Victoria was subscriber number one. Her complete set is still in the Royal Collection.
The lithographs gave Europeans their first detailed visual record of the ancient Near East. They were bought as art, used as reference by scholars, and shaped the Western imagination of Egypt and Palestine for the rest of the century.
His personal life was less composed. His wife Margaret became an alcoholic and in 1831 he sent her back to Scotland to be cared for by friends. He raised their daughter Christine largely alone. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1841, a considerable achievement for a man who had started painting houses, and worked steadily until his death in 1864.
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