Plate 165 Grand Portico Of The Temple Of Philae, Nubia - After David Roberts
Roberts was originally at Philae on October 30 1838 but returned towards the end of November. During his first visit, he marvelled at the exquisite proportions and magnificent bas-reliefs of the interior of the temple. He also found the paintings to be in an exceptional state of preservation. In his journal, the entry for October 30 states, 'I was entranced by the splendid composition of its colours; the seem to be freshly painted, and even in the places where they are most exposed to the implacable sunlight, they have retained their radiant freshness.' [1] Then on the 19th November Roberts writes 'Today I made some drawings of the interior of the temple and copied many of the figures covering the walls, all in excellent condition, with brilliant colours.' [2]
'We are fortunate that the artist decided to spend November 19 drawing the interior of the sanctuary, because the long period spent in the waters of the reservoir has almost wiped out all traces of these elegant colours. Roberts's illustration shows the hypostyle room of the temple proper, situated immediately after the second pylon, which is smaller than the first. This room, in which eight columns support the ceiling, is preceded by an unroofed courtyard, along the shorter sides of which run two short porticoes, each supported by a central column, which constitute two extensions to the hyostyle room. That room is followed by some vestibules and the naos, surrounded by various minor rooms. The initial sequence of these rooms can be seen in the lithograph. The walls and columns are covered with inscriptions and reliefs that show the pharaohs of the Ptolemaic dynasty and the Roman Emperors Augustus, Tiberius and Antoninus Pius making offerings to Isis or performing religious rites. The courtyard could be covered with a velarium (canopy) operated by ropes; the holes through which the ropes ran can still be seen in the moulding facing the pylon.' [3]
The drawings and watercolours from this tour by David Roberts 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 an original First Edition version published on the 1st May 1847.
Medium: Original First Edition, Full-Plate hand-coloured lithograph on thick woven paper.
Full Plate 165.
Inscribed on lithograph l.l. 'David Roberts R.A. L Haghe lith' and l.r. 'Grand Portico of the Temple of Philae - Nubia', 34.4 x 48.7cm (picture size), mounted.
References:
[1] David Roberts Journal, 30 October 1838.
[2] Ibid., 19 November 1838.
[3] Fabio Bourbon (ed). Yesterday and Today: Egypt. Swan Hill Press: London, 1997, p.114. Translated by Antony Shugaar.
Condition report: generally in very good condition. There a small vertical mark in the sky above the temple and the odd small time staining mark. Please see photos.