The Grand Portico at the Temple at Esneh, Egypt

Roberts visited Esna twice during his journey on the Nile, as part of his eleven month tour of Egypt and the Holy Land. On the second occasion in November 1838, he wrote in his journal: ‘Whilst making my drawing I was nearly killed with kindness by the friendly Copts or Christians of this place…. They are all well dressed and indeed better so than the other inhabitants we meet with here. Several of them appear from the Ink cases they wear in their girdles to be scriveners and nearly all wear black or red turbans, but principally the former as well as black garments. I introduced a group of them in my sketch with which they seemed greatly pleased (MS Eastern Journal, 25 November 1838, National Library of Scotland, Acc. 7723⁄1). This may be the sketch to which he refers, rather than the later version made for the lithograph. It depicts the Ptolemaic-Roman pronaos (hypostyle hall) of the Temple of Khnum, with its impressive much-decorated columns, well observed by Roberts.
We are grateful to Briony Llewellyn for her help in preparing this catalogue entry.