Plate 86 Bethany - After David Roberts
Roberts drew this composition on the 1st April 1839.
'Bethany is mentioned in the Gospel as the home of Lazarus and of his two sisters, Mary and Martha. It was in this small village at the gates of Jerusalem that Jesus performed the miracle of resurrection [of Lazarus]. It is to this remarkable event that Bethany owes its fame and also its modern name, El Azarieh, which is Arabic for "Lazarus." Despite the sacred nature of the place, Bethany looked to David Roberts like a rundown conglomeration of miserable huts, many of which were built with material taken from ancient ruins. No more than a few dozen families lived in the town. Then as now, popular lore indicates with great certainty the houses in which Mary, Martha, and Simon the Leper once lived, and of course, the tomb of Lazarus. The sepulchre in question, which can be easily recognised in the illustration by Roberts is the small square building topped by a dome to the left of the town itself; in reality it is a deep niche carved into the limestone and can be reached along a steep stairway. The site was already a place of worship in early Christian times, and the earliest documented mention of it dates from A.D. 333. Seventy years later, St. Jerome describes it as being covered by a church, and in subsequent centuries, a number of monasteries and other sacred buildings were constructed there.' [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 October 1st 1842.
Medium: Original First Edition Lithograph, with later hand-colouring on thick woven paper.
Half Plate 86.
Inscribed lower centre 'David Roberts R.A.' and l.r. 'Bethany April 1st 1839', 24.1 x 33.4cm (lithograph size), mounted (42.4 x 51.4cm).
The original title is visible through a cut out on the mount 'Bethany' and the original text from the publication in 1842 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, p.138 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.