Richard Pene Spiers

Tombs of St James and Zacharias, Valley of Jehoshaphat, Jerusalem

Watercolour with touches of bodycolour on buff paper, signed lower middle and inscribed and dated '1839' lower left Image size: 8 1/2 x 12 1/4 inches (22 x 31 cm) Acid free mount and period style gilt frame This original watercolour by Roberts depicts the temple at Baalbek with the ruined palace behind, seen from the opposite bank of a brook, where a group of figures are seated and kneeling around a table, with an arched bridge nearby. David Roberts was the first professional British artist to travel independently to the Middle East in 1838. He was the first British artist to draw the ruins of Ancient Egypt and Roberts produced a series of finished watercolours, including the painting, which he had worked up from sketches made during his tour. Like many British artists he used the familiar visual language of European landscapes to capture the unfamiliar scenery. By using architectural motifs to provide structure to compositions like this he is able to present a dramatic scene of classical grandeur, illuminated by sunlight complemented by a large area of shade in the foreground. The dramatic scene is enhanced by the three groups of figures, which convey the sense of scale. The figures also give the picture richer, darker and redder tones that contrast with the sandy colours of the architecture. This painting uses a lot of the essential ingredients that make up a picturesque scene: distant mountains, classical ruins and figures for human interest and to convey motion. Robert's Trip to Baalbek David Roberts visited Baalbek near the end of his travels around Egypt and the Middle East. Roberts and his party rode to the site of Baalbek on 2nd May in a heavy-rain storm. He was miserable, totally drenched and feverish. But the sight of the ancient Roman settlement rallied him. Despite his physical debilitation, 'I was... so much struck with the magnificence of the temple, that I could not resist visiting and examining it'. The storm then continued through the night, pummelling the traveller's tents. In the morning, Roberts felt extremely ill and sought the help of a Greek priest, who found him dry shelter in a cowshed. For the first time on his gruelling journey, Roberts devoted the whole day to bed rest. On May 4th, regaining some strength, Roberts explored the site. With obscure origins connected with the god Baal, the city of Baalbek had grown to importance in Hellenistic times, when it was known as Heliopolis ('The City of the Sun'). In the first century B.C. the Romans had established a cult of the Heliopolitan Jupiter there, and both Josephus Flavius...

Subscription and first edition lithograph in stock Full plate: 94 Presented in a acid free mount

First edition lithograph in stock Full plate: 79 Presented in a acid free mount Modern hand-coloured lithograph for the first edition of David Roberts’ The Holy Land available. Pub...

Subscription and first Edition lithographs Full plate: 77 Presented in an acid free mount Original hand coloured subscription edition and modern hand-coloured lithograph for the fir...

Picturesque depiction of Jerusalem mountainside landscape with Tomb of Ashalom.

A lovely grand tour image of the Doric architectural masterpiece dedicated to Castor and Pollux. Dated 1863. Watercolor and graphite on lightweight card stock, 10 x 13 3/4 inches (2...

Tomb of Caecilia Metella is an original etching, hand-colored on paper realized by an Anonymous artist of the XIX century, the state of artwork is good with some foxing on the upper ...

Baruch Nachshon, was born in Mandatory Palestine in 1939, in the city of Haifa. Nachshon began to paint in early childhood, and developed his relationship to art and to artists throu...