Plate 37 Tiberias, From the walls - After David Roberts
Roberts drew this composition on the 22nd April 1839.
'Tiberias was largely laid waste by an earthquake in January 1837, and when Roberts visited the place it still was nothing more than an expanse of ruins, amidst which the population wandered in shock, battered by tragedy. Few buildings had survived the disaster, and the remains of a mosque were visible at the entrance to the town. Here and there amidst the rubble a few huts stood, where a number of elderly Jews lived, who had come there to spend the last days of their lives, through the generosity of their brethren scattered throughout the world.
Tiberias is in fact one of the four holy cities of Judea, along with Jerusalem, Hebron, and Safed. The last named city appears in the distance in the illustration, with the mountains of Lebanon in the distance. This city, which is believed to be the site of the ancient Bethulia, became one of the greatest centres for the study of the Talmud and for Talmudic culture after the Jews were expelled from Spain, in 1492. The exiles, after founding a major rabbinical school, set up the first printing press in Israel in 1563. In Safed, great men of learning found refuge, such as Moshe Cordovero, Isaac Louria, Israel Najara, and a great many others, who devoted themselves to the study of the Holy Scriptures, developing an approach to exegesis that brought them to an understanding of the Cabala, a term used to describe a mystical Jewish system of interpretation of the Scriptures, based on the belief that every word, letter, number, and even accent of the Scriptures contains mysteries. Roberts left the Sea of Tiberias on the afternoon of the 22nd of April, headed for the coast, and spent the night camped near the only fountain that exists in the area.' [1]
In his journal Roberts wrote 'To-day I made several sketches of the town, or rather of its remains - for every part has been more or less destroyed by earthquakes. The city wall, which is Saracenic, has been built of large square stones, now thrown down and rent from top to bottom. Towards midday we left for Mount Carmel, and at night rested by the only fountain in Cana.' [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 August 1st 1844.
Medium: Original First Edition Lithograph, with later hand-colouring on thick woven paper.
Half Plate 37.
Inscribed lower centre 'David Roberts R.A.' and l.l. 'Tiberias, from the walls - Saffet in the distance April 22d 1839', 23.7 x 33.7 cm, mounted (39.5. x 48.7cm).
References:
[1] Fabio Bourbon (ed). Yesterday and Today: The Holy Land. Swan Hill Press: London, 1997, p.232. Translated by Antony Shugaar.
[2] David Roberts' Journal, 22nd April 1839.
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.