Temple of Jupiter, Baalbek, Syria
May 6, 1868
Classification
landscapes
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Louis P. Church
Accession Number
1917-4-517
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Frederic Edwin Church, leading figure of the Hudson River School, captured the awe-inspiring ruins of the Temple of Jupiter in Baalbek Syria, in this 1868 landscape. Painted on May 6 during his extensive travels through the Middle East, the work reflects Church's passion for documenting grand natural and historical sites. As one of America's foremost 19th-century landscape artists, blended meticulous observation with a sense of the sublime, evoking the scale of ancient architecture against vast skies and rugged terrain. The Temple of Jupiter, part of Baalbek's monumental Roman complex—among t...