The Facts
The Musée d'Orsay has made available three architectural drawings by British architect John Turtle Wood recording his restitution of the Temple of Diana at Ephesus, executed around 1863. The sheets comprise a restored plan, a restored elevation of the main facade, and a restored elevation of two bays of a lateral facade. Wood is known for his later archaeological campaign at Ephesus, where he identified the site of the ancient temple. The works are held in the Paris museum's collection, which includes 19th-century architectural and archaeological drawings.
The Signal
The drawings are an example of the 19th-century practice of graphic restitution, in which architects and archaeologists visualized lost monuments from fragmentary remains. For collectors and researchers, they connect architectural draftsmanship to the early history of scientific archaeology, a collecting focus tied to the Musée d'Orsay's encyclopedic holdings of the period. The museum's presentation also underscores the continuing scholarly interest in how ancient sites were reconstructed before modern excavation methods.
- Artists: John Turtle Wood
- Museums: Musée d'Orsay
- Locations: Paris
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