132. Aphrodisias. Temple de Vénus. Chap.[iteau]

Even more precarious than the twin columns at Didyma, are these examples from the Temple of Aphrodite (Roman Venus) at Aphrodisias, one of the most important archaeological sites of the Greek and Roman periods in Anatolia. The temple formed the centre of the city. Again, an earthquake was responsible for destroying many of the buildings and this image clearly shows a makeshift stone column added roughly at the right to support the entablature. The untidy but picturesque twigs on the top form a storks' nest, which is also visible in many later photographs of the same location.

Girault de Prangey made around 24 photographs at Aphrodisias, in various sizes, although apparently not using the panoramic format and possibly using the whole-plate size only once. Only three of the views in the archive, including this example, show this temple. See also lot 42 for a detail from the same building.