Synopsis
Scottish landscape artist David Roberts traveled to the Holy Land in 1839; the lithographs made from his travel sketches are reproduced here in color, with excerpts from Roberts's own travel journals, as well as commentary on each plate by Italian journalist Fabio Bourbon.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1996-05-01 | | Edition Description: | Illustrated |
| Size | | Length: | 270 pages | | Height: | 14.3 in | | Width: | 10.3 in | | Thickness: | 1.2 in | | Weight: | 84.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
David Roberts was born in 1796 at Stockbridge, near Edinburgh, to an extremely humble family. He spent his childhood in total but dignified poverty, which did nothing to prevent him, however, from showing early but remarkable artistic gifts. Gifted with great determination and equal talents, Roberts succeeded in overcoming his humble beginnings, and quickly became one of the most acclaimed artists of the period. An excellent landscape artist, after traveling repeatedly throughout Europe, he set out for Egypt in 1838, and during the first months of the following years, he toured the Sinai Peninsula, Petra, Jerusalem, Palestine, the coast of Lebanon, and Baalbec. The lithographs taken from the sketches he made during that remarkable journey of exploration in the Holy Land, and published in London by Francis Graham Moon between 1842 and 1849, assured him a fame that has lasted to the present day. This volume contains the original plates of the first edition, in large format, arranged for the first time in correct chronological order, with commentary and considerable extracts from Roberts' journal. Each illustration, moreover, is paired with a photograph that depicts the same a century and a half later.
Industry Reviews
This magnificent, large-format album reproduces in jewel-like color the 123 lithographs resulting from an 1839 journey of Scottish landscape artist David Roberts (1796-1864) through Egypt, Palestine and Syria. Picturesque yet precisely detailed, these often breathtaking lithographs were made from Roberts's travel sketches by Belgian artist Louis Haghe between 1842 and 1849. The lithographs conjure the Holy Land as both a crossroads of civilization and a place where time stands still. Roberts recorded settings connected to the Bible, including Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem and Mount Sinai. He also captured realistic views of monasteries, Bedouin sheiks and places like the ancient Lebanese port of Tyre and the spectacular Syrian city of Baalbec, with its Roman ruins. With each plate comes commentary by Italian journalist Bourbon, a brief excerpt from Roberts's travel journals and a contemporary photograph of the site taken by photojournalist Attini, revealing astonishing continuities over a century and a half. (Aug.)
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