The plate depicts the Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as the Pharos of Alexandria which is a famous ancient lighthouse located on the island of Pharos, near the city of Alexandria in Egypt. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and served as a crucial navigational aid for ships entering the bustling harbor of Alexandria.

After the illustration by Vivant Denon (1747-1825) for the published description of his journey to Egypt during Bonaparte’s 1798 campaign “Voyage dans la Basse et la Haute Egypte”, 1802 (Pl. 10). Denon was an artist, curator and author who worked in Italy and France and was Napoleon’s Minister of Arts and first director of the Musée Napoléon (Louvre) (1802-15).