Photographic views of Egypt, past and present . orning the interior of anEgyptian tomb. One was to smooth down the face of therock, and then cut the sculptures in bas-relief or in intaglio— as in a cameo reversed ; — another was to cover the sidesof the tomb with stucco, and then to cut the figures uponthis ; and the third, to paint upon the stucco. Where thesculptures were originally cut deep into the natural rock,they remain nearly perfect; but wherever stucco was used,the sculptures and paintings have suffered much from therecklessness of Arabs and the pilfering propensities of trav-ellers.
Photographic views of Egypt, past and present . orning the interior of anEgyptian tomb. One was to smooth down the face of therock, and then cut the sculptures in bas-relief or in intaglio— as in a cameo reversed ; — another was to cover the sidesof the tomb with stucco, and then to cut the figures uponthis ; and the third, to paint upon the stucco. Where thesculptures were originally cut deep into the natural rock,they remain nearly perfect; but wherever stucco was used,the sculptures and paintings have suffered much from therecklessness of Arabs and the pilfering propensities of trav-ellers. Their remarkable preservation is owing to theextreme dryness of the rock and of the climate, and to thefact that they were so long hidden from the destroying handof man. No rain nor vegetable mould has reached them inthe three thousand years and upwards that have elapsedsince many of them were wrought. Belzonis tomb iswrought throughout in the exactest architectural proportions,and with the most exquisite finish of sculpture and of paint-. ^ ^-^iA THE TOMBS OF THEBES. 201 ing. The grand hall, when illuminated by torchlight orwith blazing straw, presents an imposing spectacle. Thecow, the lion, the serpent, the crocodile, all well drawn andwell colored, adorn the sides of the ceiling, as symbols ofreligious sentiments, while the pillars reflect the king in theassembly of the gods. * But the most interesting chamber in this tomb, is one inwhich the sculptures are unfinished, and you see the originaldraught in red lines, corrected and improved by black linestraced over them, preparatory to the labor of the occupant of the tomb died before his original plan wasexecuted. Many of the tombs at Thebes contain single chambers aslarge as a common-sized village church. Some are larger thanthe largest churches in New York. The most extensivetomb yet opened is that of the Assaseef, a sect of thepriesthood. This tomb contains one hall a hundred andthree feet by seventy-six: a
Size: 1342px × 1861px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1850, bookidphotographic, bookyear1856
