8 lithographs depicting sites and views of the Land of Israel and environs by David Roberts, all captioned. Plate-signed. They appeared in The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt and Nubia which was published in London in 1855.
The lithographs include: Damascus Gate, the port of Tyre, a view of Jaffa from the south, Haifa, the Carmel, and more.
David Roberts (1796-1864) started his career as a backdrop artist and did not formally study art. He became famous following an 11-month journey he took to the Middle East in 1838-9 when he drew almost all he came across. He returned to London with 272 sketched in his bag. He transferred the sketches to lithograph, and they were distributed to the broad public, most of whom encountered authentic views from the Land of Israel and environs for the first time. Roberts’ works are considered the first and most important of the early 19th century. They provided the first live depiction of the Land of Israel for European residents who until then were acquainted with views of the Land only from the Bible.
Lithographs: 15×21 cm. 21×29 cm.
The lithographs themselves are in very fine condition, except for stains in margins of the leaf in some of them.