Plate 64 Ramla ancient Arimathea - After David Roberts
Roberts drew this composition on the 27th March 1839.
'Roberts left Jaffa at ten in the morning on the 27th March. He was accompanied by his friend John Pell, his guide Ishmael, and three servants. The group of travellers had eight horses which bore tents and the remaining baggage. The road ran through the gardens and orchards that surround the city, and then crossed the plain of Sharon, well cultivated in the midst of that pleasant countryside, all a-flower and studded with small villages and palm groves. Roberts considered this to be some of the finest countryside he had ever side.
Around three o'clock in the afternoon, the travellers entered the town of Ramla, where they were welcomed joyfully by the Father Superior of the Latin convent. Later the same day the Father Superior accompanied him in a tour of the most ancient monuments in the village. What most caught the English artist's attention was the Great Mosque, which was said to be originally the church of the Knights of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. Nonetheless, the structure clearly showed a strong Saracen influence, while subterranean sections clearly included structures from the Roman era. Ramla, which remains a town today with a predominantly Muslim culture, was founded by the Arabs around A.D. 716. During the Crusades it was often the site of battles, and it was occupied by Christians and Egyptians. Richard the Lionheart made his headquarters here. In 1276 it was incorporated once and for all into the Kingdom of Egypt. It enjoyed a period of great prosperity under Turkish rule, and seemed immune to the general decline that laid into the other towns of the region, because of its excellent location on the great caravan route between Damascus and Egypt.
In Ramla, which in Arabic means "sand", a great many immigrants of Balkan descent now live; there is also a sizeable Arab community. Of particular interest are the White Mosque, the so-called Tower of the Forty, and the Great Mosque mentioned above, which was built on the ruins of a Crusaders' cathedral, as well as an interesting complex of underground cisterns dating back to the ninth century.' [1]
Roberts wrote in his Journal on the 27th March 'Left Jaffa at 9A.M. for Jerusalem...Our way lay through the gardens which surround Jaffa, and across the plain of Sharon, through a richly-cultivated country. The ground is carpeted with flowers - the plain is studded with small villages and groups of palm-trees, and, independent of its interesting associations, the country is the loveliest I ever beheld. The mountains of Judea bound the view, and beyond is the Holy City. About 3 we arrived at Rameh [sic], and were kindly received at the Latin Convent by the superior...' [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 18th 1843.
Medium: Original First Edition Lithograph, with later hand-colouring on thick woven paper.
Half Plate 64.
Inscribed l.r. 'David Roberts R.A.' and l.l. 'Ramla ancient arimathea march 27th 1839', 24 x 33.3cm (lithograph size), mounted (42.4 x 51.2cm).
The original title is visible through a cut out on the mount 'Ramla' and the original text from the publication in 1843 is included attached to the back of the mount.
References:
[1] Fabio Bourbon (ed). Yesterday and Today: The Holy Land. Swan Hill Press: London, 1996, pp. 116-117. Translated by A.B.A. Milano.
[2] Journal of David Roberts, 27th March 1839.
Condition report: very good for its age. A few small markings and time staining, for example a mark towards the top right hand corner, please see photos. Recently put into a new acid free mount.