Petra. Ruins of a Triumphal Arch - David Roberts
Archival giclée
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Description
A detailed lithograph by David Roberts depicting the Triumphal Arch at Petra, featuring architectural ruins and local figures in the Jordanian desert.
David Roberts, a Scottish painter known for his meticulous topographical studies, visited the ancient city of Petra in 1839. This work captures the Triumphal Arch, a structure that once marked the entrance to the city's colonnaded street. Roberts documents the site with precision, balancing the architectural remains against the rugged, mountainous terrain of the Jordanian desert. His approach reflects the nineteenth-century fascination with Near Eastern antiquities, a subject he explored extensively during his travels.
The composition places the weathered stone remnants in the middle ground, their pale, sun-bleached surfaces contrasting with the darker, textured slopes behind them. In the foreground, a group of local figures rests upon the fallen masonry. Roberts often included such figures to provide a sense of scale and to animate the scene, grounding the historical ruins in the contemporary reality of the region. The light is soft and diffused, characteristic of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern sun, which allows for a clear definition of the architectural forms while maintaining a sense of atmospheric depth.
This print originates from the series 'The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia', which was published between 1842 and 1849. The lithographic process, executed by Louis Haghe, successfully translates Roberts' original watercolours into a medium that allowed for wide distribution. The work remains a valuable record of the site before further erosion or excavation altered its appearance. The focus is on the physical reality of the stone and the quiet presence of the figures, avoiding excessive romanticisation in favour of a measured, observational style.
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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
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- 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
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- 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
Petra. Ruins of a Triumphal Arch - 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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