Louksor (Thèbes), Construction Antérieure - Pylône, Colosses et Obélisque

Art Historical Context

In the mid-19th century, French photographer Félix Teynard captured the majestic ruins of ancient Thebes—modern-day Luxor—in his pioneering *Louksor (Thèbes), Construction Antérieure - Pylône, Colosses et Obélisque*. Created during his 1851–52 expedition to Egypt and printed as a salted paper print from a paper negative in 1853–54 by Imprimerie Photographique de H. de Fonteny et Cie, this image showcases the temple's towering pylon gateway, colossal statues, and an obelisk, remnants of the grand Karnak-Luxor complex built by pharaohs like Ramses II over millennia. This salted paper print exemplifies early calotype photography, a technique invented by William Henry Fox Talbot that used paper negatives to produce richly textured, atmospheric images. Unlike sharp daguerreotypes, calotypes offered subtle tonal gradations ideal for rendering Egypt's weathered stone and vast scale, making Teynard's work a vital tool for 19th-century archaeologists and scholars amid Europe's Egyptomania, sparked by Napoleon's campaigns. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this 23.8 x 29.9 cm photograph bridges art and science, preserving ancient wonders with unprecedented fidelity and inviting us to marvel at Luxor's enduring cultural legacy—from sacred rituals to imperial might.

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...