Revealing The Splendours of Egypt

About the event

REVEALING THE SPLENDOURS OF EGYPT: DAVID ROBERTS, ARTIST EXTRAORDINARY

David Roberts, son of a Scottish shoemaker, became one of the most celebrated artists in Victorian England. He had an extraordinary talent, drawing and painting with little or no training by virtue of an exceptional pictorial memory. Starting by drawing copies of circus posters on his mother’s kitchen wall, he progressed to scene painting, in Scotland and then London at Covent Garden and Drury Lane, and then to watercolours and large oil paintings. His travels in Spain were published with great success, but it is for his Egyptian trip that he is best known.

His pictures of the monuments, bathed in golden light and always embellished with active figures, were lavishly published to huge acclaim - and gave an enormous encouragement to the growing tourist trade. Known and liked by the Victorian establishment (Prince Albert admired him) and artists alike, he never forgot a friend in need.  This lecture will look at his life and art, concentrating particularly on his Egyptian pictures.

About the speaker

Clive Barham Carter read History and Egyptology at Cambridge, where he was a Pembroke College Exhibitioner. Thence he won a scholarship from the Egypt Exploration Society to work with Professor Walter Emery at Saqqara before embarking on his professional career by teaching history, his second love, for many years at Charterhouse in Godalming, Surrey. Clive always maintained his lifelong passion for Egyptology, running courses for adults at the City Literary Institute and also for sixth formers at Charterhouse.

Following his retirement after a year as Acting Head of Charterhouse, Clive could fully concentrate on his first love, revisiting Egypt with academic groups and as a private tour guide; researching and giving lectures on a broad spectrum of Egpytological subjects to members of the Arts Society; the Sussex Egyptology Society; the Essex Egyptology Society; The Friends of the Petrie Museum; Guildford Institute; and local U3As, Probus and Rotary; as well as museums and other interest groups.

Clive's undisputed enthusiasm and comprehensive knowledge of Egyptology has lead to him being highly in demand for his insightful, thought-provoking and entertaining lectures and study days. The Egyptology subjects can be presented as one-hour lectures or as study days, and can be designed around the programme of an individual society.

This event is free to members.

Visitors are welcome to join us - £5 on the door.