Erment (Hermonthis), Vue Générale des Ruines -Temple et Mammisi

Art Historical Context

Step into the sun-baked sands of ancient Egypt with Félix Teynard's *Erment (Hermonthis Vue Générale des Ru - Temple et Mammisi* (1851–52, printed 1853–). This salted paper print captures a sweeping view of the crumbling Ptolemaic temple and mammisi—a sacred birth house dedicated to divine motherhood—at the site of ancient Hermonthis. Towering columns rise amid the ruins, evoking the grandeur pharaonic architecture now softened by time and desert winds. Created during the early dawn of photography, Teynard's image is a salted paper print from a paper negative, a calotype process pioneered by William Henry Fox Talbot. This technique, using light-sensitive paper for both negative and positive, yielded soft tonal gradations and intricate textures ideal for documenting vast archaeological sites. As part of Teynard's ambitious album *Œuvres nouvelles exécutées au moyen de la photograhie*, printed by Imprimerie Photographique de H. de Fonteny et Cie, it exemplifies 19th-century European fascination with Egyptology, sparked by Napoleon's expedition decades earlier. At 24.3 x 30.2 cm, this intimate yet evocative print from The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection preserves fragile monuments for posterity. It bridges art and science, offering museum visitors a window into lost worlds where photography first immortalized history's whispers.

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...