David Roberts, R.A.

Lord Francis Egerton, later 1^st Earl of Ellesmere (1800-1857), purchased from the artist,

The Ellesmere Sale, London, Christie's, 2 April 1870, lot 6;

J.H. Hodgson, until 1986;

with The Leger Galleries, London,

by whom sold, in 1986, to the parents of the present owners.

Lithographed:

by Louis Haghe for The Holy Land, London 1842, vol. I, pl. 7 & London 1855, vol. I, p. 7

Oxford, The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, on long-term loan, 2015 - 2021  

This watercolour, which was lithographed for The Holy Land series, is based on sketches Roberts made on the 31^st of March 1839 - his third day of exploring Jerusalem and its environs.

The ‘Tomb of the Kings’ lies to the north of the Damascus Gate and takes its name from the legend that it is the burial place of the kings of Judea. Today, it is understood to have been commissioned by the first century Assyrian Queen, Helena of Adiabene, to be used for her own tomb. The sepulchre has been described as the finest relic of its kind near to Jerusalem and the elegance of its sculpture has been compared to that found at Petra.