Capitoline Temple of Dougga, Tunisia, front view,

1885

This archeological watercolor rendering by the architect Henri Jules Saladin record the remarkable state of preservation of the ancient Roman Capitoline temple built in the second century at Dougga, northern Tunisia. A graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Saladin was sent to North Africa by the Ministry of Public Education as part of a campaign to inventory Roman antiquities in Tunisia, which had become a French colony in 1882. His task was to render ancient structures and artifacts, document existing archeological sites, and identify areas to be excavated in the future. The trip ignited Saladin’s interest in Islamic architecture, which he would continue to promote for the rest of his career.