The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 15, 2025

Egypt and Nubia, Volume III: Approach of the Simoon-Desert at Gizeh

1849
(British, 1806–1885)
published by

F. G. Moon

(British, 1797–1871)
(Scottish, 1796–1864)
England, 19th century
color lithograph
Sheet: 43.6 x 60.4 cm (17 3/16 x 23 3/4 in.); Image: 33.1 x 48.5 cm (13 1/16 x 19 1/8 in.)
Bequest of John Bonebrake 2012.263
Catalogue raisonné: Abbey 272:114
Location: not on view

Description

The invention of photography was announced in 1839, but photographers did not arrive in Egypt until around 1850. Prior to that, general knowledge about the ancient sites came from writings and reproductions of the paintings and drawings of adventurous artists. Roberts, the first British artist to produce a series of Egyptian views, traveled through the Middle East in 1838–40. Back in England, he worked with Haghe to translate his drawings into color lithographs, which were published between 1842 and 1849 as an opulent series of portfolios. A stimulating mixture of documentation and romanticism that still moves today’s viewers, Roberts’s images appeared just before the availability of photographic depictions of the region and inspired the photographers who followed in his footsteps.
  • [Otto Schreiber]
  • Tannenbaum, Barbara. "Pyramids & Sphinxes: Over the course of more than 150 years, images of Egypt's iconic landscape have ranged from awe-inspiring to cynical." Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 56, no. 2 (March/April 2016): 8-10. Reproduced: p. 8; Mentioned: p. 9.
  • Pyramids & Sphinxes: Views of Egypt. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 6-May 24, 2016).
    A Passion for Prints: The John Bonebrake Donation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 2, 2011-January 29, 2012).
    Nineteenth Century Views of Egypt. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 19-September 9, 1992).
  • {{cite web|title=Egypt and Nubia, Volume III: Approach of the Simoon-Desert at Gizeh|url=false|author=Louis Haghe, F. G. Moon, David Roberts|year=1849|access-date=15 March 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2012.263