Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
 and variously inscribed with notesPen and brown ink and watercolour heightened with touches of white 83 x 250 mm., 3 ¼ x 9 ¾ in.Lear arrived in Jerusalem on 27th March1858 but the city was crowded as it was Easter so he carried on to Petra returning on 20th April. The present drawing dates from the next day, 21st April. Lear describes in a letter, dated 27th May, to his patron Lady Waldegrave who had commissioned a view of Jerusalem from him, that `My stay in Jerusalem or rather opposite the City, - for I pitched my tents on the Mount of Olives when I had ascertained the point I thought you would like best for your picture, was the most complete portion of my tour….' This shows a view looking east from the Mount of Olives towards the Dead Sea and Masada.A watercolour of Jerusalem drawn from the Mount of Olives drawn between 24th and 28th April and numbered 116, was sold at Sotheby's on 15th July 1999, lot 103.){kind=link}
EDWARD LEAR
Highgate 1812-1888 San Remo
The Mount of Olives, Jerusalem
Inscribed lower right and dated: M.t of Olives./21 April 1858. 120) and variously inscribed with notes
Pen and brown ink and watercolour heightened with touches of white
83 x 250 mm., 3 ¼ x 9 ¾ in.
Lear arrived in Jerusalem on 27th March1858 but the city was crowded as it was Easter so he carried on to Petra returning on 20th April. The present drawing dates from the next day, 21st April. Lear describes in a letter, dated 27th May, to his patron Lady Waldegrave who had commissioned a view of Jerusalem from him, that `My stay in Jerusalem or rather opposite the City, - for I pitched my tents on the Mount of Olives when I had ascertained the point I thought you would like best for your picture, was the most complete portion of my tour….' This shows a view looking east from the Mount of Olives towards the Dead Sea and Masada.
A watercolour of Jerusalem drawn from the Mount of Olives drawn between 24th and 28th April and numbered 116, was sold at Sotheby's on 15th July 1999, lot 103.