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A Halt in the Desert

Watercolour
1855 (made)
Artist/Maker
Lewis, John Frederick (RA POWCS) (artist)

Lewis made various trips down the Nile and crossed over the desert from Cairo to Sinai. He had made many sketches of camels and their trappings, which he later used to build up pictures like this of Bedouins in the desert.

Object details

Categories
Paintings
Animals and Wildlife
Object type
Watercolour
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Watercolour
  • Frame
TitleA Halt in the Desert (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Watercolour
Drawing
Painting
Brief description
Watercolour by John Frederick Lewis entitled 'A Halt in the Desert'. British School, 1855.
Physical description
Watercolour entitled 'A Halt in the Desert' depicting camels and people at a rest stop in the desert, near a shallow blue lake. Signed and dated by the artist.
Dimensions
  • From catalogue height: 368mm
  • From catalogue width: 498mm
  • Frame height: 600mm
  • Frame width: 730mm
  • Frame depth: 90mm
Marks and inscriptions
J. F. Lewis 1855 (Signed and dated)
Gallery label
John Frederick Lewis 1804/5-1878
The Well in the Desert
Signed and dated 1855



During his stay in Egypt, Lewis made various trips down the Nile and crossed the desert between Cairo and Sinai. He made many sketches of camels and their trappings, which he later used to build up pictures like this, of Bedouin in the desert.



Watercolour

Given by Mrs R. Ellison 1860
Museum no. FA.532
Credit line
Given by Mrs R. Ellison
Object history
An engraving after this picture appeared in the Art Journal. 1858, p.41; and 1876, p.329.
It was reproduced in G. R. Redgrave's History of Water Colour Painting in England. 1892.
Subjects depicted
Deserts
Camels (Animals)
Place depicted
Sinai
Summary
Lewis made various trips down the Nile and crossed over the desert from Cairo to Sinai. He had made many sketches of camels and their trappings, which he later used to build up pictures like this of Bedouins in the desert.
Bibliographic references
  • Timothy Wilcox, ed. The triumph of watercolour : the early years of the Royal Watercolour Society 1805-55 London: Philip Wilson, 2005. ISBN 1898519250
  • Tromans, Nicholas (Ed.), The Lure of the East : British Orientalist Painting. Tate, London, 2008
  • Evans, Mark et al. Vikutoria & Arubāto Bijutsukan-zō : eikoku romanshugi kaigaten = The Romantic tradition in British painting, 1800-1950 : masterpieces from the Victoria and Albert Museum. Japan : Brain Trust, 2002
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
FA.532

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Record createdMay 10, 2007
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O134636/a-halt-in-the-desert-watercolour-lewis-john-frederick/
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