Fountain of Siloam, Valley of Jehoshaphat - David Roberts
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Description
A detailed watercolour study by David Roberts depicting the interior of the Fountain of Siloam, capturing the architectural scale and atmosphere of the site.
David Roberts, a Scottish painter known for his meticulous topographical studies, produced this work during his extensive travels through the Near East in the late 1830s. The image depicts the interior of the Fountain of Siloam, located in the Valley of Jehoshaphat near Jerusalem. Roberts captures the architectural scale of the site, contrasting the massive, hand-hewn stone blocks of the vaulted ceiling with the natural, rugged rock formation that dominates the centre of the composition.
The artist employs a restrained palette, relying on washes of ochre, grey, and sepia to convey the texture of the ancient masonry and the cool, subterranean atmosphere of the space. A single figure, dressed in traditional attire, stands on the stone steps, providing a sense of scale against the cavernous surroundings. The play of light, filtering from an unseen source, creates deep shadows that draw the eye toward the dark opening of the spring below.
Roberts was one of the first Western artists to document these sites with such precision. His work was later published as a series of lithographs, which brought the geography and architecture of the Holy Land to a wider audience in Britain. This particular study demonstrates his ability to balance architectural accuracy with a sense of atmospheric depth. The composition is structured around the receding lines of the vaulted tunnel, leading the viewer into the depths of the structure. By focusing on the interplay between human presence and the permanence of the stone, Roberts documents the site as both a historical monument and a living space. The work remains a primary visual record of the region as it appeared in the mid-nineteenth century, reflecting the artist's technical proficiency in watercolour and his keen observation of light and form.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
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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
Fountain of Siloam, Valley of Jehoshaphat - 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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