Karnak (Thèbes), Palais--Salle hypostyle--Colonnade Centrale--Décoration d'un Fut
1853
Medium
salted paper print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 25 × 16.2 cm (9 13/16 × 6 3/8 in.) mount: 43.2 × 29.9 cm (17 × 11 3/4 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of George and Alexandra Stephanopoulos
Accession Number
2002.151.2
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Félix Teynard’s 1853 salted paper print captures a striking view of the central colonnade in the Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak, part of the vast temple complex at ancient Thebes. The image focuses on the richly carved shaft of a massive column, revealing the intricate hieroglyphic decoration that once covered the hall’s 134 towering supports. Created during Teynard’s expedition to Egypt and Nubia, the photograph belongs to one of the earliest systematic efforts to document Egyptian monuments through the camera lens. As a salted paper print—an early photographic process prized for its soft, m...
About the Artist
Félix Teynard · 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...