Christian Church of St. George at Ludd, ancient Lydda - David Roberts
Archival giclée
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Description
A detailed topographical watercolour by David Roberts, documenting the Christian Church of St. George in Lydda during his 1839 travels through the Near East.
This work by David Roberts captures the Christian Church of St. George in Ludd, known historically as Lydda. Executed during his extensive travels through the Near East in 1839, the piece reflects his meticulous approach to documenting architectural sites and regional geography. Roberts travelled with the specific intention of recording the monuments of the Holy Land, a project that resulted in a vast collection of sketches and watercolours.
The composition employs a soft, atmospheric perspective. The church sits in the middle distance, integrated into the rolling terrain. Roberts uses a muted palette of earth tones, characteristic of his on-site studies, to convey the arid environment. In the foreground, a small group of figures rests near a stone structure, providing a sense of scale and human presence within the expansive setting. The artist balances the architectural details of the church with the natural contours of the surrounding hills, using fine graphite lines to define the masonry and washes of watercolour to suggest the play of light across the stone surfaces.
Roberts was a master of topographical draughtsmanship. His ability to render the specific character of a site while maintaining a sense of place is evident here. The work avoids excessive ornamentation, focusing instead on the clarity of the scene. The inclusion of the date and location in the lower margin confirms its status as a direct observation from his journey. This print offers a view into the mid-nineteenth-century perception of the Levant, documenting a site of historical and religious significance through the lens of a skilled observer. The paper tone and the delicate application of colour remain faithful to the original study, preserving the immediacy of Roberts's encounter with the landscape of Lydda.
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Christian Church of St. George at Ludd, ancient Lydda - David Roberts
Artist Biography
David Roberts
In 1838 he sailed for Egypt and spent the next two years travelling through the Middle East, filling sketchbooks with drawings of temples, mosques, ruins and desert landscapes that almost no British artist had recorded before. To enter the mosques he had to shave off his sideburns, leave his hog-hair brushes behind (the pig being unclean), and wear traditional Arab clothing while he worked. He was one of the first Europeans allowed to paint inside a mosque.
The sketches became The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt and Nubia, a series of 247 lithograph plates produced in collaboration with the printer Louis Haghe between 1842 and 1849. He funded the project through advance subscriptions, soliciting them personally. Queen Victoria was subscriber number one. Her complete set is still in the Royal Collection.
The lithographs gave Europeans their first detailed visual record of the ancient Near East. They were bought as art, used as reference by scholars, and shaped the Western imagination of Egypt and Palestine for the rest of the century.
His personal life was less composed. His wife Margaret became an alcoholic and in 1831 he sent her back to Scotland to be cared for by friends. He raised their daughter Christine largely alone. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1841, a considerable achievement for a man who had started painting houses, and worked steadily until his death in 1864.
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