Artwork
"Sunset" near Girgeh On the Nile'
"Sunset" near Girgeh On the Nile' is a watercolor work on paper by the Impressionist artist George de Sausmarez. It dates from 1855 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This modest watercolour portrays a tranquil Nile scene at sunset near the locality of Girgeh.
About this work
The brushstrokes are loose, capturing light and shadow without tight detail—more like a quick sketch than a polished work.
This small watercolor shows a quiet stretch of the Nile at dusk. A few tall palm trees stand on the left bank, their dark trunks and green fronds leaning slightly. The water is calm, with soft ripples reflecting the fading light. In the distance, a low hillside fades into the twilight.
The title says it’s near Girgeh, painted in 1855. The brushstrokes are loose, capturing light and shadow without tight detail—more like a quick sketch than a polished work.
If you like this style, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
This modest watercolour portrays a tranquil Nile scene at sunset near the locality of Girgeh. Executed in 1855, it forms part of a larger collection of forty‑five Egyptian and Nubian views assembled in a half‑bound crimson morocco music binder labelled “EGYPT.”
Subject & Meaning
The composition captures the river’s calm surface at dusk, flanked on the left by a line of slender palm trunks and their drooping fronds. A low, indistinct hill recedes into the twilight, emphasizing the quiet, transitional moment between day and night.
Technique & Style
Rendered with loose brushwork, the artist prioritises the impression of light and atmosphere over fine detail. Soft, muted washes convey the fading glow on the water, while the minimal handling suggests a rapid sketch made on site rather than a studio finish.
History & Provenance
Created during or shortly after a Nile voyage in 1855, the work was incorporated into an album of Egyptian vistas, sharing the binder with thirty‑five other watercolours. The album’s binding and labeling indicate its original purpose as a travel record or collector’s volume.
Artist & collection
Artist
George de Sausmarez painted watercolors of Egypt’s Nile in the 1850s, recording river scenes and landmarks with quick, transparent washes.
View of the Nile
`View down the Nile. Pasha's Factory S.of Daroot-el Shereef. Upper Egypt'
Album
`Cataracts of Assouan. Midway. - Our Candjia Moored for the Night - On the Nile'
`Approach to Philae'
Biban-el-Molook, or Tombs of the Kings. Belzoni's Tomb. Thebes
`Gournou & Hill of the Kings' Tombs - Thebes'
`Stabl-Antar. Ancient Egyptian Cave near Siout. Upper Egypt'
`Beni-Souef "On the Nile"
`Kusr-é-Syad. Opposite Choenoboscion. Upper Egypt'
`Sakia or Persian wheel Nubia'
`Gibel-el-dab'
`Ibreem - The Ancient Castle of Premnis (parva) Nubia. Frontier Cantonment of the Romans "On the Nile"
Landing Place. Philoe
`Temple of Kom-Ombos. "Thebaid" from Stern of Boat "5. knots an hour" "On the Nile"