Maas Gallery
  • Home
  • Exhibitions
  • Art Search
  • Archive
  • Sarah Adams
  • About
  • Contact Us
Menu

Gallery

Back to Category Overview
1579 1579 1580 1580 1581 1581 1582 1582 1583 1583 1584 1584 1585 1585 1586 1586 1587 1587 1588 1588 1589 1589 1590 1590 1591 1591 1592 1592 1593 1593 1594 1594 1595 1595 1596 1596 1597 1597 1598 1598 1599 1599 1600 1600
23. William Holman Hunt, 1827-1910
Previous  
View full size
Next  
1602 1602 1603 1603 1604 1604 1605 1605 1606 1606 1607 1607 1608 1608 1609 1609 1610 1610 1611 1611 1612 1612 1613 1613 1614 1614 1615 1615 1616 1616 1617 1617 1618 1618 1619 1619 1620 1620 1621 1621 1622 1622 1623 1623 1679 1679 1624 1624 1625 1625 1626 1626 1627 1627 1628 1628 1629 1629 1630 1630 1631 1631 1632 1632 1633 1633 1634 1634 1635 1635 1636 1636 1637 1637 1638 1638 1639 1639 1640 1640 1641 1641 1642 1642 1643 1643 1644 1644 1645 1645 1646 1646 1647 1647 1648 1648 1649 1649 1650 1650 1651 1651 1652 1652 1653 1653 1654 1654 1655 1655 1656 1656 1657 1657 1658 1658 1660 1660 1661 1661 1662 1662 1663 1663 1664 1664 1665 1665 1666 1666 1667 1667 1668 1668 1669 1669

23. William Holman Hunt, 1827-1910

Image information

Description

Rocks at Wady Zuara, the Dead Sea

Pencil; signed and inscribed at a later date 'W Holman Hunt/ '54'; further inscribed '1/2 scale'.

7.75 x 5.5 inches

Additional Description
This drawing was executed during Hunt's visit of November 1854 to the southern end of the Dead Sea. His encampment was at Wady Zuara Tahteh (i.e., the lower slopes of the Wady al-Zuwayrah) two miles to the north-west of Usdum, where the background of The Scapegoat was painted. Hunt records in his journal of Monday 27th November 1854 that 'We commenced our preparations to depart before light. While all was being packed I took the opportunity of finishing a rough sketch I had commenced of the natural chamber in the rocks to the right of the Wady which is a good example of architectural character of the forms of the mass which have been acted upon by perhaps a torrent or some violent agency.' (MS. John Rylands University of Manchester Library).

This drawing is doubtless the one to which Hunt refers (Judith Bronkhurst) in the Sotheby's catalog of 1985.

Illustrated p. 477, chapter XVII, vol. 1 of Pre-Raphaeliteism and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, William Holman Hunt, Macmillan & Co, London, 1905.

Chapter XVI, p. 455: "Thus we came to the brink of a descent, which from that point was called the 'Wady Zuara Foka', until it opened itself into a wider gorge called the 'Wady Zuara Tahtel'; beyone was the plain, with the sea stretching in a narrow gulf still farther south. The forefront of the plateau on which we had travelled stood out on our left a mile farther, but the gulf we saw before us was the opening down which the winter floods poured in their season ; the scooped -out forms in the two channels on either side of us proved the force of the water volume that found its way in the winter down this chasm to the lake. A tongue of original limestone stretched forward between the two water channels, which was only half as high as the enflank-ing cliffs, and stood forward but a few hundred paces, ending in a knoll ; and on this eminence a castle tower reared itself, its original object being obviously to defend the pass against inroads of inimical bands, but it had long been left unmanned. On the plain the spread of the sea was restricted by the mountain " Gebel Oosdoom," which hid its southern extremity ; the mountains of Moab reared themselves beyond. We stayed some minutes to admire the wonders of the view, and then descended to the plain. From this moment my observation was studiously directed to all the region within sight, so that every spot should be stored up in memory, to be eventually weighed with others as to its suitability for the background of the projected picture. We had before our eyes the region, the very name of which has become a proverb of God's judgement."

 
©2016 Maas Gallery. All rights reserved.
Website design by Coolgrey