Market at the Mosque of Abu el Haggag, Luxor

In January 1908, Louis Comfort Tiffany made an extended winter voyage to Egypt, traveling on the Nile with his twin daughters. Egypt captured Tiffany’s interest early in his career ever since his first voyage in 1870, making his 1908 voyage his second excursion through the ancient land of the Pharaohs. During this trip, Tiffany spent time putting his impressions to paper in a sketchbook that he would later reference in finished works and designs. It depicts the Mosque of Abu el Haggag just outside the pylon gates of the Luxor Temple in Luxor. The sketch likely served as his source of inspiration for both the present work and for a watercolor and gouache titled The Temple Ruins at Luxor, Egypt.