A Group at the Entrance of the Temple of Amun at Goorna, Thebes by David Roberts

A Group at the Entrance of the Temple of Amun at Goorna, Thebes by David Roberts

c.1856

Hand-colored Lithograph

This scene is set within the ruins of the Temple of Amun at Goorna on the west bank of the Nile and depicts a gathering of local Egyptian villagers and officials. At the center sits an officer of the Pasha, likely visiting the village to collect taxes, hear petitions, or settle disputes, while a village sheikh and attendants stand nearby. Around them, men, women, and children form a series of informal groups, including a veiled woman carrying water jars and several figures seated in conversation. Roberts used the ancient temple as a backdrop to illustrate contemporary Egyptian life, contrasting the monumental remains of Pharaonic civilization with the daily activities of nineteenth-century inhabitants. The composition reflects the artist's fascination with local customs, costume, and social interactions, which he regarded as among the most picturesque aspects of travel along the Nile.

The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia is regarded as one of the most important illustrated travel publications of the nineteenth century. Based on sketches Roberts completed during an eleven-month journey through Egypt and the Middle East between 1838 and 1839, the series introduced many Western audiences to the region's temples, landscapes, and historic monuments with an unprecedented level of accuracy and detail. Roberts was among the first Western artists granted access to several sacred mosques and restricted sites, allowing him to record subjects rarely seen by European viewers. His drawings, later transformed into masterful lithographs by Louis Haghe, helped fuel nineteenth-century European fascination with Egypt and the Near East and played a significant role in shaping the visual culture of Orientalist art. Today, the series remains one of the most influential pictorial records of the region produced during the age of exploration and travel.

Dimensions: H 8 x 11 1/4 W

Condition: Slight foxing