Carl Haag, R.W.S.

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Carl Haag, R.W.S.
Anglo-German, 1820-1915

Jerusalem Seen from the House of Caiphas, 1859 (Detail)

Watercolor over graphite on paper, 10.0 x 19-7/8 in (25.4 x 50.5 cms); Signed "Carl Haag", lower right; titled and dated lower left "Jerusalem (south side) from the so called House of Caiphas/21.5.59 [21 May 1859]"; numbered "No 25" in an old hand, verso

	Provenance: The Fine Art Society PLC, London, their inventory no. 17565; a New York City gallery Museums and Collections: The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; The British Royal Collection; The National Gallery, London; The Tareq Rajab Museum, Kuwait; many private and public collections throughout the world.

	Carl Haag was a preeminent 19th-century watercolorist and traveler, one of the most famous Orientalists of his day. Born in Erlangen, Germany in 1820, he was trained at the academies of Nuremberg and Munich. He became court painter to the duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha In 1847, he traveled to London to study watercolour technique, and was fortunate enough to attract the patronage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He made many visits to Balmoral, recording the life of the royal couple and their children in numerous stunning watercolours. He eventually became a naturalized British subject. From 1850, he exhibited at the Society of Painters in Water-Colours and was elected a full member in 1853. In 1858, Haag made his first visit to Egypt, where he joined forces with the English painter, Frederick Goodall. Both artists were captivated by the beauty of the landscape, and the exotic quality of Arab life. In 1859, the very year of our own drawing, Queen Victoria commissioned Haag to paint The Dome of the Rock. He became the first artist ever to paint the architectural wonder, doing so under heavy guard and with the permission of the Pasha of Egypt. It is on this very trip that Haag painted the present watercolor. Haag continued his travels throughout the Holy Land, painting views of Palestine and of Jerusalem. It is these Orientalist watercolors that have again made Haag famous today.