- 2
DAVID ROBERTS, R.A. | Bullack [Bulaq, Cairo]
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description
- Roberts
- Bullack [Bulaq, Cairo]
- signed David Roberts R.A. lower left, inscribed and dated Bullack Jany [sic] 15th 1838 lower right, further inscribed on the mount: AT BULLACK ENVIRONS OF / CAIRO.
- watercolour over pencil, heightened with bodycolour
- 34.7 by 24.3 cm., 13 5/8 by 9 5/8 in.
Provenance
Sale: Sotheby's, London, 26 March 1975, lot 171
Hildegard Fritz-Denneville Fine Arts, London (purchased at the above sale)
Purchased from the above by the present owner, May 1975
Lithographed:
by Louis Haghe for Egypt and Nubia (vol. III), in The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Egypt and Nubia, London 1849, pl. 111 (with the above title) & 1856, vol. VI, pl. 237 (as Principal Mosque at Boulak)
Hildegard Fritz-Denneville Fine Arts, London (purchased at the above sale)
Purchased from the above by the present owner, May 1975
Lithographed:
by Louis Haghe for Egypt and Nubia (vol. III), in The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Egypt and Nubia, London 1849, pl. 111 (with the above title) & 1856, vol. VI, pl. 237 (as Principal Mosque at Boulak)
Condition
Some of the more delicate pigments have faded a little, otherwise the work is in good condition. the sheet is laid down.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
This fine drawing shows the minaret of the Mosque and Tomb of Abu al-‘Ila at Bulaq, the main port of Cairo in the nineteenth century. Constructed by Ibn al-Qanish al-Burullusi, this mosque is dedicated to Shaykh Husayn Abu 'Ali, of which Abu a-'Ila is a corruption. The shaykh was buried in the mausoleum shortly after 1485. On 2 January 1839, Roberts noted in his journal that he 'took a stroll through a part of the city I had not hitherto visited and was more and more surprised both at the extent and at the splendour of its tottering remains... A beautiful Minaret remains still be done at Bullack, one of the suburbs where all visitors land on their way from Cairo’ (MS Eastern Journal, National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh). The date on this drawing confirms that he returned to sketch it.
We are very grateful to Briony Llewellyn for her help when cataloguing this lot.
We are very grateful to Briony Llewellyn for her help when cataloguing this lot.