Egyptomania

Jean-Marcel Humbert, Michael Pantazzi, Christiane Ziegler

A unique phenomenon in the history of art, Egyptomania was born at the juncture of science and imagination. It draws its substance from scholarly knowledge about ancient Egypt, from the lore transmitted by travellers and writers, and from the repertory of myths and symbols thus generated. Egyptomania first appeared in Roman times, underwent a revival in the sixteenth century, and strengthened its hold in the eighteenth - its power to seduce the artistic imagination endures to our day. It numbers among its conquests Piranese, Hope, Turner, Wedgwood, Cartier, and Lalique. Ancient Egypt's fascination extends to all the arts : architecture, interior design, furniture, decorative arts, sculpture, painting, theatre, and film. No genre has escaped its influence. The sheer scale of the movement defies any attempt at inclusivity. Egyptomania, an exhibition jointly organized by the National...

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