Grand Temple D’Isis, à Philoe (vue générale prise du nord), Nubie

1850

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Impressionism Realism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

Grand Temple D’Isis, à Philoe (vue générale prise du nord), Nubie is a 1850 by Maxime Du Camp, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Maxime Du Camp
When & what style?: 1850 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a quiet stone temple on a small island, half-wrapped in shadows, with the Nile flowing past. This photo was taken in 1850, before the temple was moved. The temple stood here for over 2,000 years—then engineers built a dam and flooded the island. Du Camp’s image is one of the last records of the temple in its original place. To see more early photos of Egypt, look up the subject *france, 19th century*.

The story of this work

Overview

The Temple of Isis at Philae (spelled Philoe by Du Camp) was built on an island 380–362 BC in the Nile. Following construction of the Lower Aswan Dam in 1902, it was reconstructed on a nearby island. This photograph by Du Camp is not only a picturesque image of historically significant ruins but also shows the temple as it looked when still in its original site.