Artwork Page for Kom Ombo

Details / Information for Kom Ombo

Series Title: Egypt, Sinai and Jerusalem: A Series of Twenty Photographic Views, with Descriptions by Mrs. Poole and Reginald Stuart Poole

Kom Ombo

c. 1858

Francis Frith

(British, 1822–1898)
publisher

William Mackenzie

Culture
England, 19th century
Medium
albumen print from wet collodion negative
Measurements
Image: 39.5 x 49 cm (15 9/16 x 19 5/16 in.); Matted: 61 x 76.2 cm (24 x 30 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1986.193
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Frith often emulated the drawings of David Roberts in selecting monuments to illustrate and positions from which to shoot. Both artists encountered the temple at Kom Ombo still more than halfway buried in sand. “It reminds you of some grand old giant, buried to the shoulders,” wrote Frith, “not dead yet, but overpowered and imprisoned by some potent spell—majestic in his helplessness.” In his photographs, however, Frith cared less about emotional impact and more about the accuracy of his depictions. “A truthful record is of more value than the most elaborately beautiful picture,” he proclaimed.
A horizontally oriented photograph depicts the ruins of a stone temple. Centered and to the left, massive columns with flared, carved tops support heavy stone slabs decorated with rows of symbols. The structure is fragmented, with large, broken blocks scattered across the sandy ground. To our right, two large columns stand relatively intact. Bright light from our left casts deep shadows across the sepia-toned ruins.

Kom Ombo

c. 1858

Francis Frith, William Mackenzie

(British, 1822–1898)
England, 19th century

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