Sale 213 Lot 158

ÉMILE PRISSE D'AVENNES (AFTER)
French, 1807–1879
Nubian Females: Kanoosee Tribe. Philae
Lithograph depicting Two Nubian women from the Kanoosee (or Kanousi) tribe in Philae, an island in the Nile River near Aswan, Egypt. It was included in a large folio publication “Oriental Album: Characters, Costumes, and Modes of Life, in the Valley of the Nile.” The print was published by Lemercier (Paris) in 1848. Unframed. Not mounted.
Sheet: 22 x 15 inches; image: 14 x 15 inches
$80-120

ARTIST PROFILE: Émile Prisse d'Avennes (1807–1879); Achille-Constant-Théodore-Émile Prisse d'Avennes was a versatile French archaeologist, Egyptologist, and artist whose work significantly shaped European understanding of ancient and Islamic art. Originally trained as an engineer, he arrived in Egypt in 1827 to serve under Viceroy Muhammad Ali Pasha, eventually dedicating his life to documenting the country's vast cultural heritage. He was known for his immersive approach, frequently traveling in local dress under the name Edris Effendi to gain deeper access to Egyptian society and architecture. Prisse d'Avennes is most celebrated for his monumental publications, including L'Histoire de l'art égyptien and L'Art arabe, which contain hundreds of meticulous lithographic plates detailing everything from pharaonic bas-reliefs to the intricate geometric patterns of Cairene mosques. His efforts to preserve and record monuments—sometimes even physically transporting them, such as the Karnak King List now in the Louvre—cemented his legacy as a pioneering figure in the study of Orientalism and the history of art.