Pair of large antique paintings of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives
£45,000
Unusual for their split across two panels, these unique paintings are executed in oil-on-panel, and depict the holy city of Jerusalem as seen from the Mount of Olives.
These exceptional Orientalist paintings, or rather single painting split across two panels, depict the city of Jersulam as seen from the Mount of Olives, a popular viewpoint in the oeuvre of many a landscape artist who has visited Israel over the centuries.
Executed with a particularly light, deft touch, they depict the city of Jerusalem in the central and right-hand areas, above the plains of Israel. The warm light that makes the city glow has been skilfully captured by the artist, and a rocky outcrop in the foreground, similar to that in the Edward Lear painting of this view, and a work by David Roberts of 1843.Â
A remarkable work of Orientalist landscape painting, it also features the curious use of columns on either side to give it a trompe l'oeil effect as if looking from a balcony or terrace across the city. It is signed and situated, and dated 1832 though the paintin appears later. It is mounted in a pair of elaborate, ornate giltwood frames.