Who painted Egypt and Nubia, Volume II: Karnak?

Egypt and Nubia, Volume II: Karnak was painted by Louis Haghe in 1848.

Where can I see Egypt and Nubia, Volume II: Karnak?

Egypt and Nubia, Volume II: Karnak is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Egypt and Nubia, Volume II: Karnak?

Egypt and Nubia, Volume II: Karnak is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Egypt and Nubia, Volume II: Karnak

Louis Haghe , 1848

Egypt and Nubia, Volume II: Karnak is a print by the Romanticist artist Louis Haghe. It dates from 1848 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Accession no.: 2012.191
Credit line: Bequest of John Bonebrake

About this work

Overview

Louis Haghe’s 1848 lithograph, titled Egypt and Nubia, Volume II: Karnak, presents a desolate view of the ancient Karnak complex. The image shows two weathered columns amid broken stone and scattered debris, with a faint pathway threading through the ruins. Muted tones of gray and tan dominate the composition, while a pale sky looms overhead, emphasizing the site’s quiet abandonment.

Subject & Meaning

The print captures a fragment of the once‑grand Karnak temple precinct, focusing on its deteriorated columns and surrounding rubble. By isolating the ruins without any human presence, Haghe evokes a sense of timeless decay, inviting contemplation of the passage of history and the impermanence of monumental architecture.

Technique & Style

Executed as a lithograph, the work reflects Haghe’s background in watercolor, evident in the subtle gradations of tone and delicate rendering of stone texture. The composition aligns with Romantic sensibilities, using the ruin motif to convey atmosphere and emotional resonance rather than strict archaeological detail.

History & Provenance

Louis Haghe, a British artist who settled in England in 1823, co‑founded the early Victorian lithography firm Day & Haghe around 1830. This print forms part of a larger series documenting Egyptian and Nubian monuments, produced for the growing 19th‑century European interest in antiquities and travel literature.