Djébel Selséleh (Silsilis), Steles Architecturales Taillées Dans les Carriéres 1851 - 1852

Curator: Ah, another powerful photograph. This one’s by Félix Teynard, created between 1851 and 1852. It's called "Djébel Selséleh (Silsilis), Steles Architecturales Taillées Dans les Carrières.” Editor: Wow, that's quite a title. Just glancing at it, I get a sense of immense age and solemnity. The light and shadow make it look like a lost world, almost mythical. Curator: Exactly. Teynard was documenting ancient Egypt at a time when photography was still in its infancy. What he's captured here are the rock-cut temples and quarries at Djébel Selséleh. The architectural facades carved directly into the cliffs... Editor: ...give this wonderful illusion, like they've organically grown from the landscape itself! Look at how the eroded stone merges with the built structures. It blurs the lines between art and nature, doesn't it? Curator: It certainly does. And consider Teynard's technique—these were calotypes, a very early photographic process. It involved paper negatives, giving the image a softer, more atmospheric quality. It enhances that dreamlike feeling you picked up on. Editor: There’s this monumentality about it too. The scale seems vast, and the light is beautifully harsh, accentuating the textures and deep recesses within the rock face. I'm drawn to that solitary stele standing like a sentry—it has such gravitas. Curator: And if we delve into the history, Djébel Selséleh was a major source of sandstone for Egyptian temples for centuries, all the way back to the 18th Dynasty! So, Teynard wasn't just capturing a pretty scene; he was recording the material history of a civilization. The labor! Editor: It gives me goosebumps! It reminds me that what seems solid now will eventually succumb to the elements. This single image holds so many stories about time and existence... It seems simple, yet endlessly complex, full of subtle nuances and open to my feelings and reflections... Curator: That's the beauty of Teynard's work, wouldn't you agree? A glimpse into a moment, captured in a way that resonates with our own transient place in the grand scheme.