Plate 164 Nubian Women at Korti - After David Roberts
Roberts drew this composition on the 14th November 1838. 'It is generally omitted from modern reproductions of Roberts's works as no monument appears in it, provides insight into the tastes of the period in which he lived and worked, which were already chaste, but not yet fiercely repressed by Victorian morality. The scene shows Nubian women carrying water near Korti, a village where the boat tied up on the afternoon of November 14; however, the author pays more attention to the beauty of the girls than to local customs.' [1]
Roberts wrote in his journal on the 14th ' Having sailed all night, we got this morning to Maharaja, of which I took a sketch, and passed on to Korti, where there are the remains of a very small temple scarcely worth a visit. The town, however, is worth seeing. The inhabitants seemed frightened by our approach, especially the women and children, who ran away. This, we learned was caused by their frequently being carried away as slaves, and this makes them frightened whenever they see a white man. When I attempted to sketch them, they seemed still more frightened, and I found this generally in Barbary.' [2]
The drawings and watercolours from this tour by David Roberts of the Holy Land and Egypt were collated together into folios and released over a seven-year period by the publisher F.G. Moon from 20 Threadneedle Street London. This lithograph was published on May 1st 1847.
Medium: Original First Edition Lithograph, with later hand-colouring on thick woven paper.
Half Plate 164.
Inscribed l.r. 'David Roberts R.A. L Haghe Lith' and l.l. 'Nubian Women at Kortie, on the Nile', 25.1 x 34.7cm (lithograph size), mounted (41 x 49.8cm).
References:
[1] Fabio Bourbon (ed). Yesterday and Today: Egypt. Swan Hill Press: London, 1996, p.85. Translated by A.B.A. Milano.
[2] David Roberts Journal, entry 14th November 1838.
Condition report: very good for its age. A few small markings, please see photos. Recently put into a new acid free mount.