Convent of St. Catherine, Mount Sinai, Principal Court
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Convent of St. Catherine, Mount Sinai, Principal Court is a watercolor by David RA Roberts, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This watercolor painting shows a group of people in traditional robes gathered in a courtyard. The scene is set against a backdrop of buildings with balconies and a mountain range in the distance. In the foreground, a man in a red robe sits on the ground, while others stand or sit around him. The colors used are muted, with shades of brown, beige, and gray dominating the palette. The painting's use of chiaroscuro creates a sense of depth and volume, drawing the viewer's eye into the scene. For more on this technique, look up chiaroscuro.
This watercolor depicts the principal court of the Convent of St. Catherine at Mount Sinai, reproduced after a lithograph from David Roberts’s 1842–49 publication *The Holy Land*. The work was later published in the 1855 edition of the series as plate 120. It was acquired from R. Appleby’s Siddour Gallery in March 1964 for £2.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Traveler and watercolorist David RA Roberts captured distant landmarks in crisp detail during the 1830s–40s.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
