Plate 199 Temple of Wady Dabod, Nubia - After David Roberts
Roberts drew this composition on the 2nd November 1838.
'On the morning of Friday, November 2, Roberts and his traveling companions went ashore near Wadi Dabod, in a place where a small temple with very elegant proportions stood. Like many other Nubian sanctuaries it was never completed, as demonstrated by the fact that the two outer columns on the facade are unpolished. Their irregular surface and the roughly hewn capitals confirmed to the artist's eyes the supposition that Egyptian craftsmen carved the hieroglyphics and smaller details of the decoration after the various blocks of stone had been assembled in their correct positions.
The oldest part of the temple was built in the first half of the 3rd century BC by King Adikhalamani, who dedicated it to the god Amun; during the next century it was reconsecrated to the goddess Isis, and extend on various occasions by Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII. The construction of the left wing and the addition of the facade, with its four great columns, were ordered by Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius, who were portrayed with attributes of the ancient pharaohs on the walls built up to halfway up the intercolumniations. As is the case of the more famous temples of Abu Simbel and Philae, the small temple of Wadi Dabod also risked being submerged by the waters of Laker Nasser when the Great Aswan Dam was built, but was saved by the intervention of UNESCO; it was dismantled between 1960 and 1961, and the pieces were temporarily stored. Later, the Egyptian government donated them to Spain in gratitude for the country's help during the salvage operations, and the monument was reconstructed in 1968 on a hill not far from Madrid, in the Parque de la Montaña. After taking notes and drawing the site, Roberts walked on to Wadi Kardassy, where he found. temple similar to the one he had just seen; however, as sunset was imminent he decided to postpone a more detailed visit until his return.' [1]
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 July 1st 1848.
Medium: Original First Edition Lithograph, with later hand-colouring on thick woven paper.
Half Plate 199.
Inscribed l.r. 'David Roberts R.A. L Haghe Lith' and l.l. 'Temple of Wady Dabod, nubia', 24.9 x 34.8cm (lithograph size), mounted (42.4 x 51.4cm).
The original title is visible through a cut out on the mount 'Temple of Wady Dabod, Nubia' and the original text from the publication in 1848 is included attached to the back of the mount.
References:
[1] Fabio Bourbon (ed). Yesterday and Today: Egypt. Swan Hill Press: London, 1996, p.54. Translated by A.B.A. Milano.
Condition report: very good for its age. A few small markings and time staining, please see photos. Recently put into a new acid free mount.