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Source Description
This notable recent acquisition is the work of John Frederick Lewis, who moved to Cairo in 1841 and stayed for almost a decade. He made this drawing on an expedition up the Nile that he took with his wife in 1849–50, around the same time that the first photographers arrived in Egypt. At that time,the temple complex at Edfu was buried to a depth of almost 40 feet. Lewis’s watercolor carefully renders the ruins and records the hieroglyphic inscription,but transcends archaeological description to evoke the thrill of exploration and discovery.Photographers,influenced by painters such as David Roberts and Lewis, often chose similar viewpoints and framing for their depictions.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
172587
label
The Temple of Edfu: The Door of the Pylon
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
172587
contentType
drawing
title
The Temple of Edfu: The Door of the Pylon
description
This notable recent acquisition is the work of John Frederick Lewis, who moved to Cairo in 1841 and stayed for almost a decade. He made this drawing on an expedition up the Nile that he took with his wife in 1849–50, around the same time that the first photographers arrived in Egypt. At that time,the temple complex at Edfu was buried to a depth of almost 40 feet. Lewis’s watercolor carefully renders the ruins and records the hieroglyphic inscription,but transcends archaeological description to evoke the thrill of exploration and discovery.Photographers,influenced by painters such as David Roberts and Lewis, often chose similar viewpoints and framing for their depictions.
date
1850
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80084764
creators
1322
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 35.5 x 43.3 cm (14 x 17 1/16 in.)
cul
England, 19th century
accession
2015.73
Source extras
tec
Watercolor (wash and point of brush work) and gouache and graphite
tombstone
The Temple of Edfu: The Door of the Pylon, 1850. John Frederick Lewis (British, 1805–1876). Watercolor (wash and point of brush work) and gouache and graphite; sheet: 35.5 x 43.3 cm (14 x 17 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 2015.73
supportMaterials
description
sturdy weight wove tan paper
collection
DR - British
citations
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Museum Masters: 2016-17 Companion Guide.</em> [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2016.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 74-75
citation
Lemonedes, Heather. “Acquisitions 2015: Drawings.” <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em> 56, no. 2 (March/April 2016): 24-25.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 25; Mentioned: p. 24, 25
creditline
John L. Severance Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:50:22.609000
sourceId
172587
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - British
med
Watercolor (wash and point of brush work) and gouache and graphite
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
f59079872b4fad24