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"The Doorway of Baalbec": A David Roberts' 19th Century Hand Colored Lithograph

Creator: David Roberts
Offered by: Timeless Intaglio – Rare Prints, Maps & Books

Description
"The Doorway of Baalbec" is a 19th century full folio sized duotone lithograph, representing plate 81 in the Egypt and Nubia volumes of David Roberts’ large folio edition, published in London by F. G. Moon in 1849. The lithographs were prepared by Louis Haghe (1806-1885) from drawings and paintings by Roberts. The resultant large folio editions of 'The Holy Land' and 'Egypt & Nubia' are considered the greatest lithographically illustrated works issued in the 19th century.

Roberts toured Baalbec on May 7, 1838 (the date shown in the plate in the lower left). He described it as "perhaps, the most elaborate work, as well as the most exquisite in its detail, of anything of its kind in the world. Even independently of the beauty of the sculpture, and its excellent preservation, we are lost in wonder at the size of the stones, and at the nature of the machinery by which such masses were raised."

The print depicts the imposing entrance to the Temple of Bacchus with its mammoth cornerstone perched precariously above the steps below. Egyptian men are seen conversing around the entrance and a group are depicted in the distance in the center of the temple.

The print is presented in a antiqued gold-colored wood frame with a dark grey mat with a lower cutout revealing the title. There are very faint spots in the upper portions and the left margin. The print is otherwise in excellent condition.

The Temple depicted is dedicated to Bacchus the Roman god of agriculture, wine and fertility, who was the son of the god Jupiter in Roman mythology. It is part of the large Baalbec (Baalbek) temple complex (which also includes a temple dedicated to Jupiter) that is located in the Al-bibiq in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. The whole complex was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984 with the Temple of Bacchus being one of the best preserved Roman temple ruins. It was probably commissioned by Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (A.D. 138-161), dating to around the second century A.D.

The drawings and watercolours from this tour of the Holy Land and Egypt were collated together into folios and released over a seven year period by the publisher F.G. Moon from 20 Threadneedle Street London. This lithograph is from the Royal Subscription Edition (1842-1849) with only 500 copies produced per depiction. Louis Haghe (the Belgian engraver and friend of Roberts) worked on all of the lithographs for this series.

Artist: David Roberts (1796-1864) was born outside of Edinburgh, Scotland. At age 10 he became a house painter’s apprentice. He continued painting houses and eventually theater scenes in Edinburgh and then in London. His friend, J. M. W. Turner, recognized his artistic talent and encouraged him to become a full-time artist.

In 1839 he traveled to Egypt and then in 1840, through the Holy Land, concluding in Jerusalem. Upon his return to England, F. G. Moon agreed to publish lithographs created by Louis Haghe from Robert’s sketches and watercolors. This publication was highly acclaimed and very popular for its esthetic quality, its historical and topographical accuracy, and Robert’s dramatic depiction of his scenes. Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens were among the subscribers who collected his works. Robert’s and Haghe’s duotone lithographs, often colored, remain extremely sought-after today and have been rising steadily in value.

More Information

Documentation:	Signed
Period:	18th Century
Creation Date:	1849
Styles / Movements:	Other
Incollect Reference #:	577026

Dimensions

W.	22.38 in;	H.	28.5 in;	D.	0.75 in;
W.	56.85 cm;	H.	72.39 cm;	D.	1.91 cm;

Message from Seller:

Timeless Intaglio is an online gallery of rare and collectable antiquarian prints, maps and books. Although we specialize in all forms of vintage printed works on paper, the majority were created with the intaglio method of transferring ink from a plate, usually copper, to paper with a technique utilizing pressure generated by a press. Email us directly: rbreiman@timelessintaglio.com