A beautiful copy of one of the most sumptuous nineteenth-century publications on the Near East. This set comprises the first three volumes of Roberts’s great work, which were published in twenty parts between January 1842 and 1845. As here, it was issued with just two title-pages. The map included here, and the title-page to the third volume, weren’t published until 1849. The further three volumes on Egypt and Nubia would be published from 1846-49.
Born just outside of Edinburgh, Roberts began his artistic career as a scene painter for James Bannister’s Circus, initially in the Scottish capital though he soon signed a year long agreement which involved touring England. His duties sometimes extended to acting as well as painting. On return to Edinburgh, Roberts supported himself through house painting, before again finding work as a scene painter for the Theatre Royal. This was in 1820, and just two years later he had three oil paintings accepted at the Fine Arts Institution. A move to London soon followed and in 1823 he became one of the first members of the Society of British Artists. At this time he made his first journeys through Europe, traveling in 1825, 1828 and 1829. As a result of these trips, he began to understand the value of having images reproduced as lithographs, which allowed him to reach a wider audience.
In 1838, Roberts finally embarked on the journey he had wished for since childhood to the near east. He travelled via Paris, Alexandria and Cairo, where he saw the pyramids at Giza. Initially, he sailed north up the Nile to Abu Simbel, and from there to Philae, Karnak, Luxor, and Dendera. In February 1839, he left Egypt for Syria and Palestine. He then visited Petra before making his way to Hebron, Jaffa and Jerusalem. Using Jerusalem as a base, he was able to visit Jordan, the Dead Sea, Bethlehem and Baalbek. He returned to London in 1839.
ODNB rightly lauds Roberts’s achievement: “He was the first independent, professional British artist to travel so extensively in the Near East, and brought back 272 sketches, a panorama of Cairo, and three full sketchbooks, enough material to ‘serve me for the rest of my life’ (Roberts, eastern journal, 28 Jan 1839) … Over the next decade Roberts made ‘a serries of intire new drawings’ for the 247 large coloured lithographs executed by Louis Haghe for The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia (1842–9). No publication before this had presented so comprehensive a series of views of the monuments, landscape, and people of the Near East”. The quality of the artwork was matched by “Haghe’s skilful and delicate lithography, and his faithful interpretation of Robert’s draughtsmanship and dramatic sense, combine in what are undoubtedly remarkable examples of tinted lithographic work” (Abbey).
Abbey Travel, 385 [for a full collation]; Blackmer, 1432; Ibrahim-Hilmy Vol. II, p. 176-7.
