Philae occupied a special place in Lear's conscience. The present drawing was made during his first visited in 1854, when he spent ten days exploring the ancient site. In a letter home, he affectionately described it as being ‘more like a real fairy island than anything else I can compare it to.’¹

The present lot was owned by Sir Max Mallowan, an expert in ancient Middle Eastern history who made major contributions to the world of archaeology. In 1930 he married Agatha Christie, who amusingly quipped, when asked what it is like to be married to an archaeologist: 'It's wonderful. The older I get, the more interested he is in me.²

^1. V. Noakes, Edward Lear – Selected Letters, Oxford 1988, p. 216

2. H. Kushner, When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough, 2002, p. 171