Artwork

Egypt and Nubia, Volume II: Front Elevation of the Great Temple of Aboo Simbel, Nubia

Egypt and Nubia, Volume II: Front Elevation of the Great Temple of Aboo Simbel, Nubia is a print by the Romanticist artist Louis Haghe. It dates from 1848 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

Louis Haghe’s 1848 lithograph, titled *Egypt and Nubia, Volume II: Front Elevation of the Great Temple of Aboo Simbel, Nubia*, presents a detailed architectural view of the rock‑cut façade of Abu Simbel. Produced by the London firm Day & Haghe, the print exemplifies early Victorian lithographic practice and serves as a visual record of the monument’s monumental entrance and its four seated royal statues.

Subject & Meaning

The image captures the temple’s massive portal flanked by four colossal figures of Pharaoh Ramses II, each wearing a tall headdress and displaying a composed expression. Hieroglyphic inscriptions crown the doorway, while diminutive figures are carved near the base, illustrating the ancient Egyptian practice of combining monumental architecture with narrative relief.

Technique & Style

Executed as a lithographic elevation, Haghe’s work translates his field sketches into a precise, linear composition. The print’s clarity and attention to architectural detail reflect the period’s emphasis on scientific documentation, while the clean rendering of stone surfaces conveys the solidity of the rock‑cut structure.

History & Provenance

Haghe based the lithograph on sketches made during a 1840s expedition to Egypt, a time when European travelers sought to record antiquities. The original temple, later relocated in the 1960s to avoid inundation from the Aswan High Dam, is preserved at its new site, but Haghe’s print remains an early visual account of its original setting.

Context

The lithograph emerged amid growing 19th‑century European fascination with Egyptology, when scholars and artists produced detailed surveys of ancient monuments. Day & Haghe’s firm was at the forefront of this movement, contributing to the broader Romantic interest in exotic locales and the scientific study of historic architecture.