ticketsMember | Make a donation

The Temple at Dendur, Nubia

David Roberts British, Scottish
1848
Not on view
Roberts traveled up the Nile in 1838 and reached Abu Simbel in Nubia on November 8. One of the local monuments he sketched during three days in the area was the small Roman era temple at Dendur. After returning to London in 1839, the artist created detailed watercolors that Louis Haghe used to create lithographs. Eighty-five Egyptian subjects, published 1848–49, included "The Temple of Dandour, Nubia." Roberts’s images shaped how Europeans saw the region and his choice of this subject may even have influenced the actual temple’s preservation in the 1960s—before the site was flooded by the High Aswan Dam, the structure was dismantled and presented to the United States by the government of Egypt. Today, the Temple of Dendur (68.154) is one of the Museum’s great treasures.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Temple at Dendur, Nubia
  • Artist: David Roberts (British, Stockbridge, Scotland 1796–1864 London)
  • Date: 1848
  • Medium: Watercolor and gouache (bodycolor) over graphite
  • Dimensions: sheet: 7 11/16 x 10 1/2 in. (19.5 x 26.7 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Philippe and Edith de Montebello, 2007
  • Object Number: 2007.539
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
The Palazzo dei Priori, Volterra, David Roberts British, Scottish, Black graphite, heightened with white on blue paper
The Palazzo dei Priori, Volterra
David Roberts
1835
The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia, David Roberts British, Scottish, Illustrated books, London : F. G. Moon, 1842–49
The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia
Multiple artists/makers
1842–49
Oriental Scene, David Roberts British, Scottish, Watercolor over traces of graphite on cardboard
Oriental Scene
David Roberts
1838
Karnak, Looking towards the Nile
David Roberts
Louis Haghe
1849
Interior of a Theatre, David Roberts British, Scottish, Pen and ink
Interior of a Theatre
David Roberts
1796–1864

Related Content

From the Department

Research and commentary from Museum staff.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.