Part of the aim of the Egyptian expedition was to catalogue the antiquities. The work Description de l'Égypte was the publication of the results. This engraving is taken from the Atlas du voyage en Haute et Basse-Egypte by Vivant Denon, plate 12. Denon's comments on this drawing were as follows: “Profile of the Sphinx, which gives a good idea of its state of disrepair, and the character of the figure where it is preserved: the living figures serve as a proportional scale; the figure on the head and who is being given a hand to steady himself is emerging from a narrow fissure which ends in rubble and which is no more than 9 feet deep. The cut out sections on the sides served and steps for access to this hole, the purpose for which would appear to lost in the mists of time; the monument which can be seen behind is a sort of tomb like one of the small pyramids, but it is so dilapidated that it is difficult work out beyond the existing form of the ruin”.
For the activities of the Institut d'Egypte, see the article in the library at the link.
The Sphinx near the Pyramids being measured by members of the Academy of Egypt
Artist(s) : DENON Dominique Vivant
- Date :
- 1798
- Technique :
- etching after a drawing
- Place held :
- Private collection