Here is the digital watercolour painting of the temple complex. Drawn in paper and coloured digitally using the rendering of watercolour. Here the area depicted was the very temple complex which is built in a plaza square that was on top of the area of Mount Moriah called "The Temple Mount."

This temple is the Second Jewish Temple of Israel for the first one was destroyed at the time of Babylonian Captivity. After 70 years of Israel's exile, the temple was rebuilt at the time of prophets Nehemiah and Ezra. Then after 4 centuries, during the time of Roman Occupation, the puppet king Herod the Great decided to remodel the temple. This picture depicts the temple built by Herod the Great which is more grandeur than the first temple. And it is been known to Christians for this is how the Temple looked like at the time of Jesus.

This is how Herod built the Temple. It is been said that Herod built the Temple, not to please the God of Israel, but rather to give himself more praise from the people. He makes the public declaration that the temple built by Nehemiah has to be demolished to build a better temple which shocked the people. To deal with this dismay, Herod prepared all the materials in advance before he tell the said news to the people. So the people worked all day continuously to make the temple building fast. The only day that they don't work was on the day of Sabbath. According to the Gospel of John, it took 46 years to build this temple. Before the actual temple was built, the plaza has to be built first to have a flat surface for the temple for it will be built at the top of Mount Moriah.

History of Herod's Temple

This painting depicts the temple complex which is inside the temple plaza called the "Court of the Gentiles". The front was called the "Court of the Women" in which much of the temple gatherings happened here and here is where Jesus could have preached often for the collection boxes were placed in this court. The court was lit at night by the 4 great lampstands at the centre of the court. At the centre of the painting was called the "Nicanor Gate" which separates the Court of the Women and the Court of Israel. At the court of Israel lies the altar and the area to slaughter animal sacrifice which is right in front of the very temple. According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, the facade of the very temple was overlaid with gold to make it shine as it will reflect the light of the rising sun for it is facing the east. 

The whole temple complex: 
Originally reconstructed by Leen Ritmeyer
Picture credit: JW.org

Making of The Artwork

Here, I use not just one reference for this painting, I use many references for the design of the temple. The arrangement of the buildings in the temple was much based on how the archaeologist Leen Ritmeyer reconstructed it for it is more accurate than how it is been usually reconstructed. 

Model by Leen Ritmeyer

The idea that the colonnade that surrounded the court of the women has arches was based on the painting by William Hole. The reference that I used for the actual temple was based on this picture made by the Guild of Bezalel for it is based on the coin that depicts the Jerusalem Temple. 

Christ Cleanses The Temple
by William Hole

Design by Guild of Bezalel
For more information visit their article

I also use the model made by Alec Garrard as his model is also outstanding and much detailed and it depicts various elements that were found in the Temple. His model was as well researched as Leen Ritmeyer's reconstruction which took years to finish.