Cleopatra's Needle - ideal for refined and historical decoration - David Roberts, Egypt and Nubia 1838

Color lithograph: Cleopatra's Needle

Discover the famous Cleopatra Obelisk through this exceptional reproduction by David Roberts, the Scottish painter renowned for his accurate depictions of Middle Eastern monuments. This majestic obelisk is one of the few remaining remains of Alexandria's ancient monuments, notably those erected in front of Caesar's Temple.

Originating from Heliopolis, these red granite obelisks, measuring approximately 70 feet high, were transported to Alexandria by a Caesar, probably Julius Caesar, and have since been nicknamed "Cleopatra's Needles." Roberts highlights the hieroglyphic inscriptions adorning these monuments, revealing the names of pharaohs such as Thutmose III and Ramses II.

Roberts's engraving also captures the second obelisk, which fell and was mutilated near its base, and highlights England's efforts to relocate it, although the project was later abandoned. This detailed and faithful rendering of the obelisk brings to life the legacy and fascinating history of these ancient symbols.

Reproduction of an engraving of a drawing by David Roberts (1796-1864) made during his three-month journey from Alexandria to the temple of Abu Simbel in Nubia, a journey of more than fifteen hundred kilometers.

His drawings were already the subject of considerable success during his lifetime, in particular those published between 1846 and 1849 in the form of three volumes, published in London by FG Moon and entitled Egypt and Nubia, made from the drawings and sketches made during this trip to the banks of the Nile during the winter of 1838-1839, and lithographed by Louis Haghe.