David Roberts

David Roberts (1796–1864) was a Scottish painter renowned for his depictions of Egypt and the Near East, particularly in his series The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia. These lithographs, based on sketches from his travels (1838–1840), became iconic within the Orientalist movement. Initially trained as a house painter, Roberts transitioned to scenic design for theatres, working in Edinburgh and London before focusing on fine art. He developed a strong reputation for large oil paintings and detailed lithographs of European and Middle Eastern architecture.

Roberts was elected a Royal Academician in 1841, and his travels to Spain in 1832 and Egypt in 1838 shaped his artistic focus on monumental architecture and exotic landscapes. His style combined precision with grandeur, capturing the scale and majesty of the locations he visited. The lithographs produced from his sketches, with Louis Haghe as the lithographer, were celebrated for their accuracy and artistic quality. Queen Victoria was a notable subscriber to his work.

Later in life, Roberts focused on Italian and British scenes, producing notable works of Venice, Rome, and London. His last project involved creating views of London from the Thames, but he passed away in 1864 before its completion. Roberts's contributions remain a significant part of 19th-century British art, blending Romanticism with a documentary approach to foreign lands.