Abou-Sembil, Petit Spéos - Partie Gauche de la Façade

Art Historical Context

Step into the sun-baked sands of ancient Nubia with Félix Teynard's *Abou-Sembil, Petit Spéos -ie Gauche de laçade* (1851–52, printed 1853–), a salted paper print capturing the majestic left facade of the Smaller Temple at Abu Simbel Commissioned through the Imprimerie Photographique de. de Fonteny et, this 23.3 x 30.5 cm photograph freezes the colossal rock-cut sculptures of Queen Nefertari and goddesses, guardians of the temple built by Ramses II around 1264–1244 BCE to honor his beloved wife and Hathor. Teynard, a pioneering French photographer, joined the wave of 19th-century explorers documenting Egypt's wonders amid Europe's Egyptomania, sparked by Napoleon's earlier campaigns. His image, part of the landmark album *Œuvre de photographie d'Égypte et de Nubie*, offered unprecedented precision—far surpassing hand-drawn sketches—preserving intricate hieroglyphs and architectural details for scholars and the public. Crafted via the calotype process (salted paper print from a paper negative), this early technique yields a soft, textured glow that evokes the site's timeless mystery. Acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1976 through the Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, it stands as a bridge between antiquity and modernity, inviting us to marvel at human ambition carved in stone.

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...