Pillars in the Recessed Portico in the Roya Gopuram with the Base of One of the Four Sculptured Monoliths, Madura
January–March 1858
Medium
Albumen silver print from waxed paper negative
Dimensions
Image: 35.8 x 30.2 cm (14 1/8 x 11 7/8 in.) Mount: 45.3 x 57.5 cm (17 13/16 x 22 5/8 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Purchase, Cynthia Hazen Polsky Gift, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.381.1.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking photograph by Linnaeus Tripe captures the intricate stone pillars and architectural details of the recessed portico in the Raya Gopuram at Madurai’s famed Meenakshi Temple complex in southern India. Created between January and March 8, the image highlights monumental scale of the temple’s sculptured monoliths, showcasing the elaborate carvings and towering forms characteristic of Dravidian architecture. Tripe, a British officer and pioneering photographer, produced this work during an official expedition to document India’s historic monuments, preserving their appearance at a piv...
About the Artist
Linnaeus Tripe
Linnaeus Tripe (1822–1902), born in Devonport, England, as the ninth of twelve children to Mary and Cornelius Tripe, pursued a military career influenced by his sister Emily's marriage to an army colonel. Joining the East India Company's Madras Infantry as a cadet in 1838, he rose to lieutenant in southern India by 1840 and captain in Bangalore by 1854. Extended leave in England from 1850 due to i...