Al-Khazneh, Petra

Frederic Edwin Church, February–March 1868

Download3000 × 1968 px View on a wall Edit

Artist: Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826–1900)
Medium: Oil and graphite on tan paperboard
Size: H x W: 32.8 × 50.8 cm (12 15/16 × 20 in.)
Museum: Smithsonian Institution
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

Architecture and landscape study showing a view of stone-carved structure known as Al-Khazneh, or "The Treasury," at Petra in present-day Jordan. The immediate foreground along the lower margin consists of sporadic green shrubs growing out of dark soil. At center, the facade of Al-Khazneh is shown at an oblique angle, partly due to the narrow width of the canyon.

The structure's Corinthian columns, decorated pediments and entablatures, and other classical architectural features are delineated in greater detail. The cliffside flanking Al-Khazneh is dark and rough with patches of brown and red, colors which are more pronounced in the structure itself. At far left, the entrance the canyon, known as the Siq, is possibly visible beneath a small patch of blue sky.