'The Hypaethral Temple, Philae'.
About this artwork
This photograph shows the famous Trajan’s kiosk on the island of Philae. The artist David Roberts first called it a ‘hypaethral’ – or roofless – temple, while local Egyptians referred to it as ‘Pharaoh’s Bed’. In reality the building was once covered by a wooden roof and served as a chapel for ceremonies in honour of the goddess Isis. Frith used a large format camera to take this photograph, producing 16 by 20 inch negatives which revealed the scale of the scene in the finished print. His passenger boat and portable darkroom tent also appear in the image.
Updated before 2020
-
artist:Francis FrithEnglish (1822 - 1898)
-
title:'The Hypaethral Temple, Philae'.
-
date created:1857
-
materials:Albumen print
-
measurements:38.20 x 49.00 cm
-
object type:
-
credit line:Gift of Mrs. Riddell in memory of Peter Fletcher Riddell, 1985
-
accession number:PGP R 175.10
-
gallery:
-
subject:
Francis Frith
Francis Frith
Francis Frith was Europe's most prolific photographer working in the Middle East, making three journeys there in four years in the late 1850s. His wicker carriage dark room doubled as his sleeping quarters. Despite the hot climate and the threat of local bandits, he produced images of Egypt and the...