Arles, St. Trophime
1861 or after
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
Image: 42.6 x 33.8 cm (16 3/4 x 13 5/16 in.) Mount: 60.5 x 46 cm (23 13/16 x 18 1/8 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Gift of The Howard Gilman Foundation, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.364.45
Tags
Art Historical Context
Edouard Baldus, a master of 19th-century French architectural photography, captured the majestic facade of the Church of St. Trophime in Arles with this stunning albumen silver print around 1861 or later. Nestled in Provence, St. Trophime is a Romanesque masterpiece from the 12th century, renowned for its elaborately sculpted portal depicting biblical scenes and the Last Judgment—a testament to medieval stonework blending Byzantine and Gothic influences. Baldus's image freezes this historic landmark in exquisite detail, inviting viewers to explore its towering arches and intricate carvings as ...
About the Artist
Edouard Baldus · 1813–1889
Édouard-Denis Baldus (1813–1889), born in Grünebach, Prussia, moved to Paris in 1838 at age twenty-five to study painting outside the École des Beaux-Arts and atelier system. Trained initially as a painter, draughtsman, and lithographer, he exhibited at the Paris Salons from 1841 to 1851 without notable recognition. Around 1849, Baldus pivoted to photography, embracing William Henry Fox Talbot's p...