**First Time At Auction**

Northern Europe, Scotland, ca. 1855 CE. A fascinating ensemble of 6 books containing volumes I through VI of "The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia" a collection of lithographs produced, printed, and published by New York D. Appleton & Company with lithographs by Louis Haghe (Belgian, 1806-1885), the best and most prolific lithographer of the time, after drawings made in situ by Scottish painter David Roberts R.A. (1796-1864). Roberts was the first professional artist to visit the Near East without a patron or connection to a military expedition or missionary group. Travelling up the Nile River, across deserts and mountains in Egypt and the Holy Land, he recorded impressions of landscapes, temples, ruins, and people in three sketchbooks and more than 272 watercolors. These sketches and paintings then served as a basis for Haghe's 247 lithographs, which were originally published with text between 1842 and 1849 as "Holy Land." Size (all about the same): 8.75" L x 0.75" W x 11.75" H (22.2 cm x 1.9 cm x 29.8 cm)

David Roberts paid tribute to Haghe's work in glowing terms: "Haghe has not only surpassed himself, but all that has hitherto been done of a similar nature. He has rendered the views in a style clear, simple and unlaboured, with a masterly vigour and boldness which none but a painter like him could have transferred to stone."

This set contains a total of 72 plates and 2 maps: Vol I: 14 plates (2, 6, 10, 18, 19, 22, 27, 28, 29, 31, 34, 36, 38, & 41); Vol II: 26 plates (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 52, 53, 55, 58, 60, 61, 62, 62, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 72, 73, 74, 75, 78, 84, 86, & 87); Vol III: 15 plates and 1 map (88, 89, 91, 99, 101, 108, 110, 112, 114, 115, 117, 121, 122, 123, & 124); Vol IV: 2 plates (127 & 162); Vol V: 2 plates & 1 map (170 & 180); Vol VI: 13 plates (214, 216, 222, 227, 230, 236, 238, 239, 242, 243, 244, 247, & 249)

Provenance: ex-Royal Athena Galleries, New York City, New York, USA

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#176303

Volume 1 detached from both covers; volumes 5 and 6 detached from front cover; volume 2 detached from back cover. All have some loose pages and tearing to pages and covers, as well as age-expected wear as shown. Nice preservation of text and images throughout.