Jerusalem (watercolour)

Watercolour and bodycolour 6 ¼ x 9 ¼ inches (16 x 23.5 cm) Exhibited 'Watercolours by H B Brabazon', J Leger & Son, London, December 1949, No 61; 'Chris Beetles Summer Show', Chris Beetles Gallery, London, 2021, No 33 Additional Notes Hercules Brabazon Brabazon visited Jerusalem in 1860, on a journey that also took in Cairo, Baalbek and Istanbul, and other places in Palestine. Though the subject of the present watercolour has not been positively identified, the central structure may be based on the Golden Gate, or Gate of Mercy, the Eastern gate of the Temple Mount, which was built by the Romans in the 520s, and has been almost permanently sealed since 1541. If so, then Brabazon has taken the artistic licence to use its external façade as the backdrop for an atmospheric market scene. In reality, an Islamic cemetery lies in front of it.