Encampment of the Pilgrims at Jericho - David Roberts
Archival giclée
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Description
A detailed lithograph by David Roberts depicting the encampment of pilgrims near Jericho during his 1839 travels in the Near East.
David Roberts, a Scottish painter known for his detailed topographical studies, travelled to the Near East in 1839. This work documents the annual pilgrimage to the Jordan River, a journey undertaken by Christian travellers during the nineteenth century. Roberts captured the scene with precision, focusing on the temporary structures and the diverse groups of people gathered in the arid terrain near Jericho.
The composition organises the figures into small, social clusters, providing a sense of the scale and activity within the camp. Tents of varying sizes occupy the middle ground, while the distant, hazy hills frame the horizon. Roberts utilised a muted palette of ochre, sandy beige, and soft browns, which reflects the sun-drenched environment of the region. His ability to render the textures of clothing and the structural forms of the tents demonstrates his technical skill as a draughtsman.
This image belongs to a larger series of lithographs published following his travels. These works were widely circulated in Britain, providing many viewers with their first visual encounter with the geography and customs of the Holy Land. The print maintains a balance between observational accuracy and the aesthetic conventions of the period. It functions as a historical record of a specific cultural event, documenting the attire, social interactions, and logistical arrangements of the pilgrims. The work avoids excessive dramatisation, opting instead for a measured, descriptive approach to the subject matter. The light is soft, suggesting the early morning or late afternoon, which helps to unify the disparate elements of the scene into a coherent whole.
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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
Encampment of the Pilgrims at Jericho - 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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