Plate 205 Nile, Near Wady Dabod with crocodiles - After David Roberts

Roberts drew this composition on the 16th November 1838.
 
'Roberts left Wadi Kardassy in the afternoon, and came in sight of the heights of Wadi Dabod at sunset. As the boat sailed along, following the placid current of the river, his attention was attracted by a number of crocodiles basking on the sandy shores, as if to absorb the last rays of the sun. These formidable reptiles, up to 20 feet long, with an array of lethal teeth, were the true rulers of the Nile for centuries, feared and respected by the local people to the extent of being worshipped as the earthly manifestation of a deity, Sobek of Kim Ombo. The cult of this god had some interesting features. In various regions the crocodile was worshipped in ancient times as the supreme deity, but later began to be identified first as an ally and then as the actual personification of Set, the god of evil and enemy of Osiris, so that the crocodile itself became less and less important. However, the danger represented by the great predator was still sufficient to win it the terrified respect of those who had to cross the river every day; its sly movements, exceptional strength and speed made it a formidable enemy.
 
There were numerous crocodiles between Gebel el-Silsila and Kim Ombo; they lived in large family groups on the sandbanks and in the shallows in the middle of the river, taking a heavy toll of human lives every year. It is therefore easy to understand why Sobek continued to be worshipped with particular fervour in the region, and his image was frequently evoked as a propitiatory totem by boatmen. Even in the 19th century, blood-curdling tales were told about crocodiles, and the local people were terrified of them. They only lost their supremacy on the river after the construction of the first Aswan Dam, and they have now almost disappeared from the part of the Nile that flows through Egypt. Although the lithograph is very effective, it is highly unlikely that the artist ventured very close to the lethal creatures; he probably left this doubtful privilege to the herons shown in the plate, who earned their safety and food by picking parasites off these descendants of the prehistoric dinosaurs.' [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 August 1st 1848.
 
Medium: Original First Edition Lithograph, with later hand-colouring on thick woven paper.
 
Half Plate 205.
 
Inscribed l.l. 'David Roberts R.A. L Haghe Lith' and l.r. 'Wady Dabod Nubia Novr 16th 1838', 25.1 x 34.8cm (lithograph size), mounted (42.2 x 51.4cm).
 
The original title is visible through a cut out on the mount 'Scene on the Nile near Wady Dabod, with crocodiles' 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.105. 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.