Where can I see Egypt and Nubia, Volume III: The Nileometer. Island of Rhoda?

Egypt and Nubia, Volume III: The Nileometer. Island of Rhoda is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Egypt and Nubia, Volume III: The Nileometer. Island of Rhoda?

Egypt and Nubia, Volume III: The Nileometer. Island of Rhoda is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Egypt and Nubia, Volume III: The Nileometer. Island of Rhoda

Egypt and Nubia, Volume III: The Nileometer. Island of Rhoda is a print by the Romanticist artist Louis Haghe. It dates from 1849 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Accession no.: 2012.231
Credit line: Bequest of John Bonebrake

About this work

Overview

Louis Haghe’s 1849 print, titled Egypt and Nubia, Volume III: The Nileometer. Island of Rhoda, records a scene on the small island of Rhoda in the Nile. Executed in lithography, the image presents a stone structure topped by a tall cross, set beside a shallow pool where a few figures are gathered.

Subject & Meaning

The central building is the Nileometer, an instrument erected to gauge the river’s water level and thus forecast flood timing, a crucial factor for agricultural planning in Egypt. The presence of people attending to the pool suggests the practical use of the device in daily life.

Technique & Style

Haghe employed the lithographic process, a method he mastered early while working for the London firm Day & Haghe. The print combines precise architectural detail, arched doorways and stone texture, with a modest, observational rendering of human activity, characteristic of mid‑nineteenth‑century topographical illustration.

History & Provenance

Created in 1849, the work formed part of a larger series documenting Egyptian and Nubian landscapes. It later entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains accessible for study and public viewing.

Context

During the 1840s, European interest in Egypt’s antiquities and contemporary infrastructure grew, prompting artists like Haghe to produce visual records for scholarly and commercial audiences. The Nileometer itself reflects the period’s blend of ancient tradition and modern hydraulic management.