Nubian Women at Korti by David Roberts

Nubian Women at Korti by David Roberts

C. 1856

Lithograph

This 19th c. lithograph by David Roberts titled Nubian Women at Korti, captures a graceful scene of daily life along the NIle during his travels in the late 1830s. The composition centers on a group of Nubian women, some elegantly draped in traditional loose fitting white cotton garments and others in simple leather girdles or aprons decorated with shells. Their upright, dignified posture is emphasized as several of the women skillfully balance large clay water jars atop their  head- a common practice that Roberts noted lent them a sculptural elegance. Set against a sparse, sun drenched landscape near the riverbanks, the scene is populated with figures at rest, including a  seated woman in the foreground and a pair of children near their mother, offering a serene glimpse into the close knit community of ancient Nubia.

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: some foxing, minor pin hole