Temple Bar

Temple Bar from around 1830 by David Roberts depicts the historic gateway between the City of London and Westminster. Temple Bar was one of London's most famous landmarks before its removal in 1878, making Roberts's painting a valuable historical document. Roberts built up his architectural subjects with careful pencil underdrawing before applying watercolor or oil washes, combining the documentary precision of a trained scene painter with genuine artistic sensitivity to light and atmosphere.

The London landmark is rendered with Roberts's characteristic architectural precision, the busy street scene providing urban context for the historic structure.