Ile de Fîleh (Philæ), Colonnade Occidentale - Ruines Vues du Point L
1851–52, printed 1853–54
Medium
Salted paper print from paper negative
Dimensions
23.2 x 30.0 cm. (9 1/8 x 11 13/16 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1976
Accession Number
1976.607.90
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the sun-drenched ruins of Philae Island on the Nile with Félix Teynard's *Ile de Fîleh (Philæ), Colonn Occidentale - Ruinesues du Point L* (1851–52, printed 1853–54). This salted paper print from a paper negative captures the Western Colonnade's weathered columns from "Point L," evoking the grandeur of ancient Egyptian Ptolemaic architecture amid dramatic shadows and intricate stonework. Teynard, a French photographer, documented Egypt's monuments during his expedition, offering museum-goers a window into a vanishing world before modern threats like the Aswan Dam submerged parts of t...
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...