Grand portico of the Temple of Philæ, Nubia.
1846-1849
Step into ancient Egypt with David Roberts, a Scottish artist who traveled the Nile in the 1830s to capture its crumbling wonders. This vibrant scene shows the grand portico of the Temple of Philae, where massive columns topped with colorful, plant-like capitals rise up to a ceiling painted in brilliant blues and reds. Notice the tiny figures in traditional dress lounging among the ruins—they give a sense of just how gigantic these structures are! Interestingly, this entire temple was later threatened by the rising waters of the Aswan High Dam and had to be dismantled and moved to a new island in the 1970s to save it.
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