Port of Tyre - David Roberts
Archival giclée
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Description
A detailed 1839 watercolour by David Roberts, capturing the quiet atmosphere and maritime activity of the Port of Tyre in the Levant.
David Roberts, a Scottish painter known for his meticulous documentation of architectural and geographical sites, produced this watercolour during his extensive travels through the Near East in 1839. The work depicts the harbour of Tyre, a location of significant historical weight, captured with the precision of a trained observer. Roberts utilised a light, controlled palette to render the atmospheric conditions of the Mediterranean coast, balancing the expansive, hazy sky against the grounded details of the shoreline.
In the foreground, local figures are positioned near small wooden vessels and discarded stone columns, which serve as reminders of the site's ancient past. The composition draws the eye across the calm water toward the distant, low-lying ruins of the city. Roberts employed fine, calligraphic lines to define the rigging of the dhows and the textures of the beach, while the wash techniques provide a sense of depth and humidity. The work reflects the nineteenth-century fascination with the Levant, documenting the region with a focus on both the physical geography and the daily life of its inhabitants.
This piece is characteristic of Roberts's approach to travel art, where the artist acted as both a chronicler and an aesthetic interpreter. By avoiding overly dramatic flourishes, he maintained a sense of documentary clarity. The soft, muted tones of the sea and sky contrast with the sharper, more defined forms of the boats and figures, creating a balanced visual narrative. This print captures the quietude of the port, offering a view of a location that held great interest for European audiences during the Victorian era. It remains a clear example of the topographical tradition that defined much of Roberts's career.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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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.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
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
Port of Tyre - 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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