Ile de Fîleh (Philæ), Colonnade Occidentale - Ruines Vues du Point L
1851–52, printed 1853–54
Medium
Salted paper print from paper negative
Dimensions
23.2 x 30.0 cm. (9 1/8 x 11 13/16 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1976
Accession Number
1976.607.90
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the sun-drenched ruins of Philae Island on the Nile with Félix Teynard's *Ile de Fîleh (Philæ), Colonn Occidentale - Ruinesues du Point L* (1851–52, printed 1853–54). This salted paper print from a paper negative captures the Western Colonnade's weathered columns from "Point L," evoking the grandeur of ancient Egyptian Ptolemaic architecture amid dramatic shadows and intricate stonework. Teynard, a French photographer, documented Egypt's monuments during his expedition, offering museum-goers a window into a vanishing world before modern threats like the Aswan Dam submerged parts of t...
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...