The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, and Arabia. From Drawings Made on the Spot by David Roberts, R. A. With Historical Descriptions by the Revd. George Croly, L. L. D. Lithographed by Louis Haghe הוצאת F.G. Moon - London, 1842 - 1849 - three large format volumes (folio) - first edition.
First edition of David Roberts' monumental work, The Holy Land, three large volumes with 120 large format (folio) lithographs. Title page for each volume. The lithographs from Roberts' famous journey that he made in 1839-1840 show buildings, cities, people, landscapes and sacred sites for the various religions throughout the Land of Israel and the Middle East.
Titles of the years appearing on the title pages: Part I: 1842. Part II: 1843. Part III: 1849.
David Roberts' [1796-1864] "Holy Land" paintings are considered the pinnacle of lithographic work in the 19th century and in general. Roberts illustrated the paintings during a journey to the Near East that he made in 1839-1840 for 11 months. His drawings were processed into colored lithographs by one of the great lithograph artists in the 19th century - Louis Haghe, who used the "hand-tinting" technique to be as faithful as possible to the original painting as it came out of Roberts' hand (a process that made the publishing costs very expensive), The lithographs were first published in 18 folders and then during the years 1842-1849 in the volumes of "The Holy Land" before us. The plates were prepared on the basis of the drawings that Roberts brought with him, and the printing work took nearly ten years under the supervision of Roberts himself. In order to finance the printing, over 600 subscriptions were signed in advance - members of European nobility and rulers: Queen Victoria ((Subscriber #1 - her set of lithographs is kept in the royal collection to this day), the Archbishops of York and Canterbury, the Austrian Emperor, the Russian Tsar, the Kings of France and Prussia, and others. Roberts' work is considered the most popular in the field of lithographs, and he is the most prolific artist of the 19th century. During his lifetime he produced over 2,000 paintings and drawings.
Roberts is considered by many to be the greatest artist of light and shadow of all time, beyond the beauty and uncompromising professionalism of the lithographs he created they have a significant historical importance, they provided for the first time a glimpse into the Middle East in detail, at a time when the region was still largely unexplored by Europeans. The edition before us is the rarest and most sought after Roberts edition, According to estimates 2,000 copies of the first edition were printed. It is known about adventure stories of collectors and travelers who have gone through the years trying to get this edition around the world.
Volume I: [11], 29 pages of text + [21] plates that combine lithographs and text, [20] lithography plates over an entire page + [1] a huge full-page portrait of Roberts at the beginning of the book.
Volume II: [21] plates combining lithographs and text, [21] lithographs plates over an entire page.
Volume III [1] text page + [16] plates that combine lithography and text [1] map of the Land of Israel [19] lithographs plates over an entire page.
62x45 cm. Overall condition good. Gilt leaf cutting. Original Impressive half-leather and marble bindings with gilt decorations. The lithographs are all protected by parchment paper. Variable time stains - some lithographs have many stains, and some are completely clean. Slight wear on the spine and the edges of the cover. Additional photographs from the three volumes and additional information regarding the provenance will be provided upon request.
