The arrival of the Sultan; and Study of an armed ambush on camelback

Thomas Seddon first travelled to Egypt in December 1853, and was joined there a month later by William Holman Hunt. The two travelled together, reaching Jerusalem in June 1854, a deeply moving experience for both. Seddon spent five months there working on Jerusalem and the Valley of Jehoshaphat from the Hill of Evil Counsel (Tate Britain) before returning to England via France. However, he was fascinated by the east, and in October 1856 returned to Cairo, where he died a short time later. After his death, the Pre-Raphaelites organised a subscription to buy Jerusalem for the nation, and it was included in an exhibition of over 100 of Seddon’s works at the Society of Arts in May 1857.