Semua - David Roberts
Archival giclée
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Description
A detailed lithograph by David Roberts depicting a caravan travelling through the arid terrain of Semua, captured during his 1839 travels.
This lithograph depicts the site of Semua, captured during David Roberts' extensive travels through the Near East. Roberts, a Scottish painter, embarked on a journey to Egypt and the Holy Land in 1839 to document the architecture and geography of the region. His sketches were later transformed into lithographs by Louis Haghe, forming the basis of the publication 'The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia'.
The composition follows a classic topographical approach. A caravan of figures mounted on camels traverses a winding path through a rugged, arid valley. The foreground is defined by steep, rocky slopes that draw the eye towards the middle ground, where the settlement of Semua sits upon a plateau. The distant hills fade into a soft, atmospheric haze, a technique Roberts used to convey the vast scale of the terrain. The colour palette remains restrained, relying on earthy ochres, muted browns, and soft greys to reflect the sun-bleached environment.
Roberts possessed a keen eye for architectural detail and human scale. By placing the small figures of the caravan against the expansive geological formations, he provides a sense of the isolation and physical demands of travel in this region during the nineteenth century. The work avoids excessive ornamentation, focusing instead on the clarity of the line and the accurate representation of the site. This print offers a glimpse into the documentation efforts of the period, where artists acted as observers of distant cultures and terrains. The work remains a clear example of the technical precision achieved by the collaboration between Roberts and his lithographer, capturing the light and texture of the desert environment with careful attention to detail.
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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
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Care & Cleaning
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- 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
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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
Semua - 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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