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Biban-el-Molook, or Tombs of the Kings. Belzoni's Tomb. Thebes

George de Sausmarez

1855

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Orientalism Realism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

Biban-el-Molook, or Tombs of the Kings. Belzoni's Tomb. Thebes is a 1855 watercolor by George de Sausmarez, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: George de Sausmarez
When & what style?: 1855 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This sketch shows a rocky hillside with a small, crumbling building carved into it. A donkey stands to the left, loaded with a red bundle, while two people—one standing, one sitting—wear simple clothes. The walls look old and weathered, with patches of moss or dirt. The sky is faint, almost erased, and the whole scene feels quiet and worn down. The title at the bottom calls it "Biban-el-Molook, or Tombs of the Kings," hinting this might be a real tomb or burial site. The artist, a general named Sausmarez, sketched it in 1855, likely while traveling. Next, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like this.

The story of this work

Overview

One of 45 watercolors in an album documenting a 1855 journey along the Nile, this work depicts the Biban-el-Molook, or Tombs of the Kings, specifically Belzoni's Tomb. Created by George de Sausmarez, the image is mounted among 35 others on loose sheets housed in a half-bound crimson morocco music binder stamped with "EGYPT" on the front. The album includes views from both upstream and downstream sections of the Nile.

Read the full account in the museum source.