Intérieur de l’Eglise de l’Anonciation à Nazareth
Felix Bonfils
Description
Subject Matter:
This photograph shows an interior view of the former Church of the Annunciation (demolished and rebuilt in the twentieth century), which has been richly appointed in a highly decorative, nineteenth-century historicist vein. Two identical staircases terminate at a landing on which rests an elaborately cast metal shrine surrounded by numerous tall candlesticks. While the composition is mostly symmetrical, Bonfils adjusts the view slightly so that the shrine can be seen from behind a large chandelier in the foreground, and so that the wooden pulpit can fit into the frame on the left-hand side. Rows of pointed arches with a small, star-studded dome provide an overall structure for the composition, and they also reference medieval architectural traditions. Obscured by the angle of the photograph, a central stair descends to a lower chamber, where can be seen a number of hanging lamps, chandeliers, and classical columns. This image is one of hundreds of photographs made throughout Bonfils's career which purport to document various landscapes, cityscapes, and people of the eastern Mediterranean.
Physical Description:
Near-symmetrical interior view of a lavishly decorated building.
Usage Rights:
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