Lower Pool of Siloam, Valley of Jehoshaphat - David Roberts
Archival giclée
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Description
A detailed topographical watercolour by David Roberts, capturing the arid landscape and stone architecture of the Lower Pool of Siloam in 1839.
This work depicts the Lower Pool of Siloam, situated within the Valley of Jehoshaphat near Jerusalem. David Roberts, a Scottish painter, travelled to the Near East in 1839 to document the architecture and topography of the region. His sketches from this journey provided the source material for his widely circulated lithographic series, 'The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia'.
The composition employs a wide, panoramic perspective that draws the eye from the foreground path into the deep, arid valley. Roberts uses a restrained palette of ochre, muted brown, and soft grey to capture the sun-bleached stone and the harsh, dry atmosphere of the terrain. The architectural forms of the buildings, clinging to the steep slopes, are rendered with precise, delicate lines that define their structure without overwhelming the natural features of the site. Small figures are placed along the path and the pool's edge, providing a sense of scale and human presence within the vast, ancient setting.
Roberts was known for his ability to balance architectural accuracy with atmospheric effects. His work reflects the nineteenth-century interest in the historical and biblical sites of the Levant. By focusing on the interplay between the built environment and the rugged geography, he creates a record of the location as it appeared during his visit. The drawing demonstrates his technical proficiency in watercolour, using washes to suggest the play of light across the valley walls and the shadows cast by the rocky outcrops. This piece offers a view into the historical documentation of the region, captured through the lens of a traveller and artist dedicated to recording the physical reality of these sites.
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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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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
Lower Pool 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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