The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Tomb of the Virgin, Jerusalem

1854

Gide et J. Baudry

France, 19th century

salted paper print, Blanquart-Évrard process, from waxed paper negative

Image: 22.7 x 32.8 cm (8 15/16 x 12 15/16 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 61 cm (20 x 24 in.)

John L. Severance Fund 1996.10

Location: Not on view

Description

In 1854, Auguste Salzmann was commissioned by the French Ministry of Public Instruction to document the holy city of Jerusalem. His charge was to substantiate the controversial theories about dating ancient ruins proposed by his friend, Louis Félicien de Saulcy, a noted antiquarian. Unlike almost all other photographers documenting architecture in the 19th century, Salzmann relied on extreme close-up views. In this example, he eliminated most of the building, concentrating on the door of the tomb and its surrounding architectural elements. As a result, all indications of scale, terrain, placement, and context normally found in documentary photographs are absent, while the abstract textural and surface qualities of the tomb are emphasized.

(Charles Isaacs Photographs, Inc., New York, NY)
March 4, 1996
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Museum of Art, Tom E Hinson. Catalogue of Photography. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. Reproduced: P. 314
Cleveland Museum of Art, “The Cleveland Museum of Art Acquires Major Works,” March 18, 1996, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
CMA, November 20,1996 - February 2, 1997: "Legacy of Light: Master Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art."
{{cite web|title=Tomb of the Virgin, Jerusalem|url=false|author=Auguste Salzmann, Gide et J. Baudry|year=1854|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1996.10