| Method | Lithograph with tint stone |
| Artist | after David Roberts |
| Published | London, Published June 2nd. 1856, by Day & Son, Gate Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields |
| Dimensions | Image 125 x 175 mm, Sheet 198 x 285 mm |
| Notes |
Plate 162 from Volume 4 of the small format reprint of Roberts' The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia. A general view of the city of Asyut, Egypt. Asyut is an ancient city, tracing its foundations from at least 3,100 BC when it was the capital of Upper Egypt's thirteenth nome. The city's cult temple to Anubis gained it the name of Lycopolis ('Wolf-city') in Greek sources. Historically, the city was important for its connection with Coptic Christianity, and in the modern era it is still home to the highest concentration of Coptic Christians in Egypt. Roberts' view shows the city in the distance, the minarets and dome of its mosque the most prominent feature. In the foreground, a partly ruinous tower stands on an outcrop. The foreground is also populated by two camel-teams. David Roberts RA (24th October 1796 – 25th November 1864) was a Scottish painter. He is especially known for a prolific series of detailed prints of Egypt and the Near East produced during the 1840s from sketches made during long tours of the region (1838-1840). This work, and his large oil paintings of similar subjects, made him a prominent Orientalist painter. He was elected as a Royal Academician in 1841. The firm of Day & Haghe was one of the most prominent lithographic companies of the nineteenth-century. They were also amongst the foremost pioneers in the evolution of chromolithography. The firm was established in 1823 by William Day, but did not trade under the moniker of Day & Haghe until the arrival of Louis Haghe in 1831. In 1838, Day & Haghe were appointed as Lithographers to the Queen. However, and perhaps owing to the fact that there was never a formal partnership between the two, Haghe left the firm in the 1850's to devote himself to watercolour painting. The firm continued as Day & Son under the guidance of William Day the younger (1823 - 1906) but, as a result of a scandal involving Lajos Kossuth, was forced into liquidation in 1867. Vincent Brookes bought the company in the same year, and would produce the caricatures for Gibson Bowles' Vanity Fair magazine, as well as the illustrations for Cassells's Poultry Book, amongst other commissions. Condition: Light foxing to margins, not affecting image. |
| Framing | unmounted |
| Price | £30.00 |
| Stock ID | 39125 |