Mitla, Mexico
Among the first to photograph Mexico's Mayan ruins, the French archaeologist-adventurer Désiré Charnay gained considerable fame with the publication of his photographs and an account of his travels entitled Cités et ruines américaines: Mitla, Palenqué, Izamal, Chichen-Itza, Uxmal (1862-63). In this plate from the album, Charnay photographed a corner of the "Priest's House" at Mitla (a.d. 800-1200) as the strong sunlight of the Yucatan sliced across the courtyard-an outsized version of the building's later sundial, marking the daily passage of time in the sun's movement across centuries old walls.
Artwork Details
- Title: Mitla, Mexico
- Artist: Désiré Charnay (French, 1828–1915)
- Date: 1859
- Medium: Albumen silver print from glass negative
- Dimensions: 28 x 40.9 cm (11 x 16 1/8 in. )
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Purchase, Jennifer and Joseph Duke Gift, 2000
- Object Number: 2001.101
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
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Désiré Charnay
1863
Désiré Charnay
1863
Désiré Charnay
1863
Désiré Charnay
1857–89
Désiré Charnay
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