Louksor (Thèbes), Construction Antérieure - Pylône, Colosses et Obélisque
1851–52, printed 1853–54
Medium
Salted paper print from paper negative
Dimensions
23.8 x 29.9 cm. (9 3/8 x 11 3/4 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1976
Accession Number
1976.607.30
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the mid-19th century, French photographer Félix Teynard captured the majestic ruins of ancient Thebes—modern-day Luxor—in his pioneering *Louksor (Thèbes), Construction Antérieure - Pylône, Colosses et Obélisque*. Created during his 1851–52 expedition to Egypt and printed as a salted paper print from a paper negative in 1853–54 by Imprimerie Photographique de H. de Fonteny et Cie, this image showcases the temple's towering pylon gateway, colossal statues, and an obelisk, remnants of the grand Karnak-Luxor complex built by pharaohs like Ramses II over millennia. This salted paper print exem...
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...