Lot 61: DAVID ROBERTS R.A, MINARETS AND GRAND ENTRANCE OF THE METWALEYS AT CAIRO, TINTED LITHOGRAPH, 1848

A vertical tinted lithograph on paper depicting a bustling street scene in 19th-century Cairo. The composition features the Bab Zuweila gate, referred to in the title as the entrance of the Metwaleys, with the two distinctive minarets of the Mosque of Sultan al-Mu’ayyad rising prominently in the background against a light sky. The foreground and middle ground are filled with a dense crowd of figures dressed in traditional Egyptian attire, including merchants, figures on donkeys, and camels. The architecture is rendered with intricate detail, showing wooden mashrabiya balconies and stone masonry. The print is executed in a palette of sepia, cream, and grey tones, typical of the tinted lithographic process of the mid-19th century.

The artwork bears several printed inscriptions. At the lower left corner of the image, the text reads David Roberts R.A. and L Haghe lith. Centred directly below the image is the printed title MINARETS AND GRAND ENTRANCE OF THE METWALEYS, AT CAIRO. Along the bottom edge of the sheet, a publication line reads London, Published by F.G. Moon, 20 Threadneedle St. Decr. 1st 1848. In the lower right margin, there is a further inscription in a handwritten-style script that repeats the title as Minarets and Grand Entrance of the Metwaleys at Cairo. The print appears to be a full folio sheet from the series titled The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia.

60 by 43cm