Wadi bed between El Arish and Magdhaba

Places
Accession Number ART02679
Collection type Art
Measurement framed: 27.6 x 32.8 cm; unframed: 19 x 24 cm
Object type Painting
Physical description oil on maple wood panel
Maker Lambert, George
Place made Egypt: Frontier, Sinai, El Arish Area, El Arish
Date made mid March 1918
Conflict First World War, 1914-1918
Copyright

Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain

Public Domain Mark This item is in the Public Domain

Description

Depicts a sand hill landscape, a camel kneels while a soldier lies on the right of the flat stream bed in the foreground. The Wady El Arish marks the end of the desert sands of Sinai and the beginning of southern Palestine. Lambert travelled through the area in mid March 1918 and wrote: 'This little painting I hold to be my most sincere and successful effort. It was painted in heat of the day, a breathless heat, that made the camels lie down and look even more sorry for themselves than usual. Miriads [sic] of flies seeing both my hands busily engaged settled down and enjoyed an almost uninterrupted feast on the perspiration that literally saturated every stitch of my uniform including leggings & boots. Despite these difficulties and that curse of the Official Artist the sense of hurry caused by having to work to military schedule I accomplished my six in by four inch masterpiece.'