Félix Teynard

salt print, numbered 'Nº 18' in the negative, 1851-52

Estate of a private collector, France

Christie's London, 1 November 2005, Sale 7141, Lot 1, Lee Marks Fine Art as agent

Cropped without the negative edges:

Félix Teynard, Egypte et Nubie: Sites et Monuments les plus intéressants pour l’étude de l’art et de l’histoire (Paris: Goupil et Cie, 1858), pl. 18

Félix Teynard: Calotypes of Egypt, A Catalogue Raisonné (New York, London, and Carmel, 1992), pl. 11, p. 163

Grading this salt print on a scale of 1 to 10 – a 10 being a salt print with deep brown dark tones and highlights that retain all of their original detail – this print rates a strong 10. Its tones are a delicate purplish-brown and an astonishing level of detail is visible, both in the statue's intricate carvings and the textured background. This print is in generally excellent condition. There are thick black margins along the left, right and lower edges. The left, right, and upper edges are unevenly trimmed. There are faint white fingerprints in the left margin, a small white dot in the right margin, and a pin-hole in the lower left margin corner.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present photograph shows a quartzite statue of Prince Khaemwaset, son of Ramesses II, of Egypt’s 19th Dynasty. The statue’s hieroglyphic carvings offer prayers to the deities Atum, God of Creation, and Osiris, God of the Afterlife.  As early as the 13^th century B. C. E., Khaemwaset undertook restoration of the region’s pyramids, statues, and temples, for which efforts he is often referred to as ‘the first Egyptologist.'

Although little is known of Charles Cuny (1811-1858), a French physician and world traveler, the statue of Khaemwaset is believed to have been in his collection in Assiut, Egypt, at the time Teynard photographed it.  The statue subsequently passed to E. A. Diamandidi, Cuny’s associate, before being donated in 1866 to the British Museum by Samuel Sharpe (1799-1881), noted Egyptologist and Bible translator.

This image was included as Plate 18 in Teynard’s photographic survey Egypte et Nubie (1858), there published cropped, without the negative edges visible on the present print.  As with Lot 32, the photograph offered here was originally part of a French private collection that included at least 13 other Teynard prints.  Many of those photographs were similarly untrimmed and unmounted.