Plate 89 Arabs in the Desert - After David Roberts
Roberts drew this composition on the 17th February 1839 and we wrote in his journal 'Mount Sinai burst upon our sight in all its grandeur; and here we met, for the first time, with an Arab encampment, surrounded by flocks of sheep and goat.' [1]
'Roberts began his voyage toward the Holy Land on the morning of the 11th February, after clearing up a troublesome misunderstanding with his Arab companions. The Englishman had in fact discovered that a considerable portion of the grain that had been included in the bag borne by the camels was not meant, as he had assumed, for their nourishment, but would be given to the tribes they met along the way for planting, because the harvest of the previous year had been extremely scanty. A few hours' ride out of Suez, the caravan was caught by surprise in a sandstorm so brutal that by noon Roberts and his travelling companions were forced to pitch tents and take shelter. In contrast, the following day was beautiful. The track ran along the coast, with an imposing mountain range rearing up in the distance. This was the place where the waters of the Red Sea supposedly opened to let Moses and the people of Israel through, crashing closed again upon their persecutors. Their trip proceeded without any major surprises, and as the landscape rolled past Roberts was able to observe their surroundings in perfect calm.
Among the Arabs who made up his entourage, the most noteworthy individual was certainly a certain Beshara, a native of the tribe of Beni Sa'id. Beshara was gifted with an agile intelligence, and he accompanied Roberts all the way to Aqaba. His portrait was of particular interest, chiefly because it faithfully reproduces the clothing that the guide wore. Like all desert Arabs, he wore an ample shirt or smock, gathered at the waist with a leather belt, and a heavy wool mantle over that. His legs were bare, and he wore simple sandals on his feet. His turban denotes an elevated rank, since the more ordinary sort of headgear is made up of a simple strip of rough cloth fastened with a loop of twine or twisted cloth. This simple but eminently functional outfit is completed by the ubiquitous broad-bladed curved knife, and a blunderbuss.' [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 1842.
Medium: Original First Edition Lithograph, with later hand-colouring on thick woven paper.
Half Plate 89.
Inscribed l.r. 'Arabs of the Tribe of Benisaid Feby 17th 1839', 30.7 x 25.8cm (lithograph size), mounted (51.1x 41.1cm).
The original title is visible through a cut out on the mount 'Arabs of the Desert' and the original text from the publication in 1842 is included attached to the back of the mount.
References:
[1] David Roberts Journal, entry 17th February 1839.
[2] Fabio Bourbon (ed). Yesterday and Today: The Holy Land. Swan Hill Press: London, 1996, p.32. Translated by A.B.A. Milano.
Condition report: very good for its age. A few small markings, please see photos. Recently put into a new acid free mount.