100. Un Iwân, à Damas

Art Historical Context

This lithograph, titledUn Iwân, à Damas* (An Iwan, in Damascus), was created in 1843 by French artist Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey. Produced just a few years after the invention of photography, it captures an architectural view of an iwan—a vaulted, open-ended hall typical of Islamic design—in the historic city of Damascus. The large sheet size allowed for detailed reproduction, making the image suitable for study or display. As a lithograph classified within the Metropolitan Museum’s photographs collection, the work highlights the medium’s role in the 19th century as a bridge between hand-drawn art and emerging photographic processes. Girault de Prangey’s travels in the Middle East supplied many such subjects, and prints like this one helped introduce Western audiences to the region’s architectural heritage. Acquired by the museum in 2017 through the Joyce F. Menschel Photography Library Fund, the piece remains a valuable record of both artistic technique and cultural documentation from the period.

About the Artist

Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey · 1804–1892

Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey (1804–1892), born in Langres, France, as the sole surviving child of Claude Joseph Girault and Barbe Philiberte Rosine Piétrequin, inherited the lordships of Genevrières and Prangey, adopting his full surname in 1825. After studies at Langres college and in Paris, where he earned baccalauréats in letters (1826) and law (1828), he pursued artistic training under ...