View of Grand Cairo from the Summit of the Great Pyramid of Giza
1800
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1800
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
You’re standing on the Great Pyramid, looking down at Cairo. The city sprawls in soft watercolor—minarets, domes, and dusty streets under a hazy sky. Mayer painted this around 1800, when most Europeans only knew Egypt from books. He climbed the pyramid to sketch it himself, part of a job documenting places for a British ambassador. The view feels real, not romanticized. If you like this, check out more works in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
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