Débôd (Parembole), Vue Générale des Ruines
1851–52, printed 1853–54
Medium
Salted paper print from paper negative
Dimensions
24.1 x 30.7 cm. (9 1/2 x 12 1/16 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1976
Accession Number
1976.607.95
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the mid-19th century, photographer Félix Teynard into Egypt's remote Nubian landscapes during his 1851–52 expedition, capturing ancient wonders with one of photography's earliest processes. *Débôd (Parembole), Vue Gén des Ruines* offers a sweeping vista of weathered architectural remnants at the Débôd site—likely a Ptolemaic temple complex—casing the grandeur and decay of pharaonic heritage. Printed as a salted paper print from paper negative by Imprimer Photographique de H. de Fonteny et Cie around 1853–54, this 24.1 x 30.7 cm image measures about the size of a modern book page, making it ...
About the Artist
Félix Teynard|Imprimerie Photographique de H. de Fonteny et Cie · 1817–1892
**Félix Teynard (1817–1892)** was a pioneering French photographer whose work captured the ancient wonders of Egypt and Nubia with unprecedented precision and artistry. Born on January 14, 1817, in Saint-Flour, he trained as a civil engineer in Grenoble, a hub of Egyptology that likely sparked his fascination with ancient architecture. Little is documented about his early life or formal photograph...