And in just slightly less time than it took to build the Great Pyramid of Giza, your neglectful Archivist has penned another entry into A Year in the Library...
“Egypt, thou knew'st too well My heart was to thy rudder tied by the strings, And thou shouldst tow me after: o'er my spirit Thy full supremacy thou knew'st, and that Thy beck might from the bidding of the gods Command me.”
Antony and Cleopatra, III.11
Fascination with the culture and artifacts of Ancient Egypt has been with us since, well, Ancient Egypt. And what’s not to love? The monumental architecture, the sinuous lines of sculpted zoomorphic (or is it anthropomorphic?) deities, the mysterious cults of life and death... and of course those seemingly indecipherable hieroglyphics. Egyptian art and architecture are the very embodiments of power, mystery, and eternity. Any affiliation with or appropriation of them confers upon the imitator some of that prestige.
Whereas Egyptology concerns itself with the history and archeology of one of the great cultures of the ancient past, Egyptomania pertains to contemporaneous obsessions with ideas about and objects in the style of Ancient Egypt. Sometimes the line between the two becomes a bit blurry as an archeological discovery sets off reverberations in a culture. The longevity of enthusiasm for all things Egyptian is reflected in the perpetually recurring Egytomanian periods and their artifacts, from large-scale architecture to diminutive oject. With this blog, your Archivist will but touch upon some of the innumerable examples of Egyptomania throughout history as represented in the few that have made their way to The Collection.
Like Egypt, it seems that Egyptomania too is eternal (Ozymandias excepted, of course). During the Classical period, Alexandrian Egypt was a center of commerce and learning, and an important source of grain for Rome. Through this port city and others, elements of Egyptian culture and art made their way into Roman households and temples, generating mystery cults that revered syncretic Egypto-Roman deities with overlapping iconographies. With the reemergence of Herodotus’ history of Egypt during the Renaissance, a new phase of Egyptomania was born. Even The Bard was inspired to write an act or two set upon the Nile (vide supra).
And Herodotus’ writings weren’t the only ones of significance to reappear during The Renaissance. A collection of texts alleged to have been written by the Thrice Great Toth, with a little help from Hermes, known as the Hermetica were uncovered. Included amongst the writings were treatises on magic and alchemy, which would later come to serve as the foundation for many a modern esoteric mystery cult, from Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry to Thelema and modern Magick.
During the 18th Century, large monuments in the Egyptian style were built for Popes and potentates alike. On a smaller scale, Josiah Wedgewood began creating Egyptian-inspired pieces in his ceramics. Napoleon’s (and subsequent others’) meanderings about the dessert assured interest in Ancient Egypt continued throughout the 19th Century, and no desk was complete without a bronze sphinx or pharaoh, oftentimes with a languid siren draped upon it. (Sadly, despite its not inconsequential selection of erotica, no such example of said sinuous maiden exists in The Collection). In the early 20th Century, the burgeoning moving picture industry was offering exotic glimpses of life on the Nile with Cleopatra (1917) and The Ten Commandments (1922).
In 1922, however, Egyptomania reached a new fervor with Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. Ten years later, the lure of Egypt continued to enthrall, as evinced by the popularity of Boris’ second most famous monster. Mr. Lee carried on the tradition through the 1960s with his unique portrayal of the bandage-bound priest. To the present day, the interest in Ancient Egypt has continued unabated, with innumerable examples of in just about every facet of Western culture, from film and fashion to art and toys.
Tut’s Tomes
Fortunately for us (assuming you too are an Egytomanaic), there is no shortage of books and catalogues about the topic at hand. From scholarly treaties on the obscurest of topics to picture books illustrated by popular graphic designers, all are welcome in The Library. Rather than list all the pertinent titles held in The Collection, only those deemed most photogenic will be cited here. This is not to suggest that other, less lavishly illustrated books are not equally captivating in their own way, just that they do not lend their allure as well to the cold, glassy eye of the camera obscuara.
Most of the titles pertaining to our discussion (not including any related volumes on shelves reserved for Ancient Egyptian Art & Archaeology, Ancient Languages & Scripts, elephant folios, and Baroque Polymaths).
Monuments of Egypt. The Napoleonic Edition. 1987. Hardcover book by Chris Naunton. Princeton Architectural Press. About 24 x 31 cm. Unpaginated (approx. 640 pp.).
In 1798, Napoleon commenced his Mediterranean Campaign which included forays into Egypt. In addition to his soldiers, the Colossus of the Nineteenth Century brought with him a company of artists, architects, and engineers. Their findings were published as Description de l’Egypte in 10 volumes and two atlases which included over 800 copper engravings. The massive work served as a catalyst for the birth of Egyptology and Egyptomania in the Early Modern era. This edition reproduces the 421 plates found in the first five volumes and is a veritable encyclopedia of Ancient Egyptian style.
Many of the plates are architectural renderings by The Corsican’s engineers in an appealingly precise style.
A few color plates illustrate wall paintings and objet.
Egyptomania. Egypt in Western Art 1730 - 1930. 1994. Softcover exhibition catalogue. National Gallery of Canada. About 22 x 28 cm., 608 pp.
The title says it all.This thick volume contains a mouthwatering selection of two centuries worth of art and decorative objects in the style égyptien.A total of 392 objects from the exhibition are depicted mostly in black and white with a few color plates.
This Wedgewood vase illustrates how the Egyptomanian can depart from the Ancient Egyptian. While the some of the motifs are the latter, the combination is clearly the former.
In case you are at a loss for what to get your Archivist for Christmas...
Prisse d’Avennes Egyptian Art. 2014. Hardcover book with essay by Salima Ikram. Taschen. About 32 x 44 cm., 424 pp.
Were your Archivist ever to start a small imprint, he would surely look to Taschen for inspiration. This oversized volume reproduces yet another monumental work on Ancient Egyptian art. Produced over a ten-year period from 1868 to 1878, d’Avennes’ work reproduces hundreds of color examples of Ancient Egyptian design in a style that anticipates Art Deco. Taschen’s willingness to publish such a large tome assures that the illustrations are properly appreciated.
Even the endpapers are magnificent.
A few Egyptian knickknacks and gewgaws.
I am reminded of a back scratcher I once had.
The Egyptian Renaissance. The Afterlife of Ancient Egypt in Early Modern Italy. 2007. Hardcover book by Brian Curran. University of Chicago Press. About 22 x 29 cm., 432 pp.
An examination of Egyptomania during The Renaissance with numerous illustrations in monochrome, and a few in color. Because the book is larger than usual for a scholarly text, the illustrations are more easily admired.
The earliest known illustration of a monumental bilbocatch game.
Obelisk. A History. 2009. Softcover book by Brian Curran, et al. Burndy Library, Cambridge, Massachusetts. About 19 x 24 cm. 384 pp.
From gentlemen’s desktops to neoclassical monuments and all scales in between the obelisk is one of the most pervasive examples of Egyptian style. They were present in Ancient Rome and remain so in the National Mall in (not of) the Americas. No empire worth its dominion was without one, either “relocated” from the ancient lands, or created anew. This substantial volume traces the history of the West’s obsession with these phallic monoliths.
They knew not what it said, just that it looked cool in a plaza.
Egypt in England. 2012. Softcover book by Chris Elliot. English Heritage. About 20 x 24 cm., 314 pp.
A nice overview of the many examples of Egyptomania throughout The Kingdom in color and black and white. A portion of the book is segmented by region, so that one might visit many of the monuments and buildings described, avoiding, of course, the more rural areas with poor crops in need of ritualistic offerings...
Another Ozymandias in the making
The Lost Manuscript of Frédéric Cailliaud. Arts and Crafts of the Ancient Egyptians, Nubians, and Ethiopians. 2014. Hardcover book. American University in Cairo. About 21 x 29 cm. 296 pp.
Well, not so much lost as previously unpublished. This volume rectifies that (almost) 200-year old oversight and presents Caillaiud’s 66-plate opus, and then some. The mid-19th Century illustrations are clean and crisp, anticipating the graphic design styles of much later periods.
Look for the union cartouche.
Egyptologists’ Notebooks. The Golden Age of Nile Exploration in Words, Pictures, and Letters. 2014. Hardcover book by Chris Naunton. Getty Publications. About 21 x 28 cm. 264 pp.
Ok, so this is more Egyptology than Egyptomania but you can’t have one without the other. Excerpts from the notebooks of artistic archeologist abound, helping to place the objects in context.
Note how the artist’s watercolor brush technique accurately reflets the degradation of the original due to aging.
Egyptomania. 2017.
Hardcover book by Emma Giuliani and Carole Saturno. Laurence King Publishing. About 29 x 41 cm., 180 pp.
Ostensibly a children’s book, this oversized volume is composed of graphic design eye candy. Many of the pages feature foldouts that reveal hidden secrets of Egyptian culture.
An early example of psychomachia with a movable scale- no fair cheating!
Beyond the Nile. Egypt and the Classical World. 2018. Hardcover Exhibition Catalogue edited by J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Getty Publications. About 25 x 30 cm., 344 pp.
Along with The British Museum and what our cousins loving call “The Met”, The Getty publishes beautiful catalogues, and this volume is no exception. Numerous large color images accompany a wide range of essays on the topic at hand from The Bronze Age through The Roman Imperial Period. Just, um, don’t ask to see the provenance cards...
The Bes of both worlds...
Note the broken-off nose, a means of desecration designed to inhibit the breathing (or reputation) of the one depicted.
Alberto Giacometti et l’Ègypte Antique. 2021. Hardcover Exhibition Catalogue. FAGE. About 17 x 24 cm., 194 pp.
As with so many artists since those brick triangles were first erected (with apologies to Ms. Cunk), so too was that master of the emaciated figure and patron saint of bulimics interested in the powerful forms embodied in ancient Egyptian art. This catalogue compares a number of the Surrealist/Expressionist/Modernist’s works with their progenitors.
Another doodler defacing their texts (see previous post, The Scottish Play).
From Papyri to Paper
It’s not just all about books, you know. Sometimes it’s about parts of books. Or prints as they’re otherwise known. Or cards. Beyond the aforementioned complete codexes, The Collection includes a few other pieces hailing from the dimension so fondly delineated by Mr. Edwin Abbot Abbott.
Interpretation of the frescoes at Ibsambul. c. 1835. Colored lithograph on paper (mounted on board). Plate XXVI from 'Monuments de l'Egypte et de la Nubie' by Jean-François Champollion. Paris. About 48 x 60 cm.
This large lithograph is from a monumental edition of Champollion’s work. Known known as The Father of Egyptology, Jean-François (1790 – 1832) is best remembered as the philological prodigy who spoiled all the fun by actually deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics (with a bit of help from some fragmentary rock).
Home Team 10, Visitors 0.
Allegorical Image of the Nile. 1690. Engraving by Jan Luyken on paper. Plate 1094 from 'Joodse Oudheden, ofte Voor-Bereidselen tot de Bybelsche Wysheid, en gebruik der heilige en kerkelijke historien: uit de Alder-Oudste Gedenkkenissen der Hebreen, Chaldeen, Babyloniers, Egiptenaars, Syriers, Grieken en Romeinen. Amsterdam. About 18 x 31 cm.
This allegorical representation of the Nile is described by its inscription, “The fertile making Nile as it is carved into an old stone”. Here, as noted above, Egyptomania is associated more with the exotic than with the strictly Ancient Egyptian. In addition to a hippopotamus and a crocodile, a narwhal and a unicorn are depicted. Surely everyone knows that unicorns are indigenous solely to the Emerald Isle (and parts of France, if you are to believe the Continentalists).
The upper portion depicts as crocodile hunt, whilst the lower illustrates the Nile as a classical river god, reclining amidst putti (representing tributaries?). The narwhale looks particularly nonplussed.
Hippopotamus with Crocodile. 1690. Colored engraving by Jan Luyken on paper. Double-folio plate 1091 from 'Joodse Oudheden, ofte Voor-Bereidselen tot de Bybelsche Wysheid, en gebruik der heilige en kerkelijke historien: uit de Alder-Oudste Gedenkkenissen der Hebreen, Chaldeen, Babyloniers, Egiptenaars, Syriers, Grieken en Romeinen. Amsterdam. About 39 x 31 cm.
Another representation of that classic duo, hippopotamus and crocodile (a splendid name for a pub, by the way), or as the inscription reads, “The wonder animal Behemoth, normally called Hippopotamus with the Leviathan or Crocodile depicted according to the latest experience and the Book of Job. 40. As shown.” Frankly, I think my title is zippier.
A hunting we will go... (en Fudd voce).
The Eternal Tarot. 2015.
Tarot Deck. Glorian Publishing. Cards about 7 x 11 cm., 78 cards.
An appropriate medium to consult should one wish to ascertain when the next cycle of Egyptomania might begin. These modernistic cards are rendered in the style of a cartouche surrounded by Arabic numerals, Latin and Hebrew letters, and planetary symbols. Instead of the Minor Arcana being composed of the traditional four suits, each card is assigned a unique attribute. No matter the style of your divination, this deck has you covered.
One way to get rock-hard abs.
Tarots Egyptians. 2018. (based on an 1875 deck from Paris). Tarot Deck. Lo Scarabeo. Cards about 7 x 10 cm., 78 cards.
Despite the title, the iconography of these cards is more reflective of a late 19th Century idea of the Egyptian-esque than strictly Ancient Egyptian. Allegorical figures are mostly Classical in nature, with a dose of Christianity thrown in for good measure. That said, the images are replete with serpents, so I’ll not be complaining.
Walking like an Egyptian?
The Other Bronze Age
Bronze has been an important material for utilitarian purposes (i.e., killing things) as well as decorative arts since the third millennium BCE. During The Renaissance, bronze became an especially popular medium for sculpture. By the time the 19th Century rolled around, no desk or fireplace was complete without some bronze objet, preferably in an Ancient Egyptian theme.
Second Empire Inkwell. c. 1870. Bronze lidded inkwell with Egyptian motifs. France. About 12 cm. tall
The first president and last monarch of France (and let us hope this doesn’t provide our American cousins with any ideas), Napoleon III leveraged the cultic adoration of his uncle through grand commissions and patronage of the arts. The highly eclectic style included sufficient examples of Ancient Egyptian motifs to qualify as Egyptomania. Covered in inscribed hieroglyphs, this piece presumably conveyed upon the user the novelty of writing in the style of a Pharaonic scribe, and perhaps, as indecipherably.
A view from up top.
Apis Bull. Late 19th Century. Bronze Tazza. France. About 20 cm. tall
Tazzas (footed cups/bowls) have been around since at least Hellenistic Egypt. This piece was cast in the late 19th century as a decorative object for the table. Supporting the disc, is a representation of the Apis Bull, one of the most revered animals in the Egyptian pantheon. Records of his worship date back the First Dynasty. Between Apis’ horns is a solar disc, a symbol of his mother, Hathor.
Atop the plate are incised various deities surrounding a pharaoh’s head.
Egyptian Revival Inkwell. Late 19th Century. Bronze desk accessory. France. About 37 cm. wide, 23 cm. tall
This elaborate desk accessory is just the thing for the aspiring Pharaoh. Between the two inkpots is a gold leafed tomblike structure guarded by male and female figures. Atop the monument is a double headed snake figure. Eat your heart out, Thulsa Doom.
A closer view of the monument to cursive penmanship.
Egyptian Revival Inkwell. Late 19th Century. Bronze inkpot. France. About 14 cm. wide, 16 cm. tall
Against the wings of two female sphinxes rests a funerary orb, topped by a golden flame. An ideal receptacle for the ink that will be used to compose some romantic verse about the fleeting nature of this mortal coil.
The epitome of feline poise.
Egyptian Scribe Bookends. c. 1914. Copper electroformed objet. New York. About 17 cm. tall.
These bookends are rendered in the style of a statuette of the New Kingdom royal scribe, Min-nakht (XVIII Dynasty), which is in the collection of the Walters Art Museum. The pieces here were created by electrodepositing copper over a mandrel base.
Whatcha readin’?
Camel with Obelisk. Mid 20th Century?
Bronze decorative objet. France (?). About 51 cm. tall.
In the first quarter of the 16th century, as part of a Medici commission, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger proposed, for the base of an obelisk, sphinxes atop elephants atop tortoise-shaped astragals. Aside from being the first recorded Jenga, this fanciful device may have initiated the design trend of animal pedestals for obelisks. Since then, other quadrupeds have been utilized, from rhinoceri to, as exemplified here, camels. And here I thought it was a straw that did the deed.
Medu Netjer
Of especial interest to cultures following the decline of Dynastic Egypt were the mysterious hieroglyphics which, until Napoleon’s little jaunt to Egypt in 1798 (merci, Jean-François), eluded all attempts at translation (of which there were many). The Baroque polymath Athanasius Kircher tried his hand at decipherment in his Oedipus Aegyptiacus, but he was unable to successfully pierce the veil of the enigmatic symbols.
In his Lingua Aegyptiaca Restituta (1643), Kircher called hieroglyphics "this language hitherto unknown in Europe, in which there are as many pictures as letters, as many riddles as sounds, in short as many mazes to be escaped from as mountains to be climbed".
Monument with Egyptian Hieroglyphics. 1690. Engraving by Jan Luyken on paper. Plate 50 from 'Joodse Oudheden, ofte Voor-Bereidselen tot de Bybelsche Wysheid, en gebruik der heilige en kerkelijke historien: uit de Alder-Oudste Gedenkkenissen der Hebreen, Chaldeen, Babyloniers, Egiptenaars, Syriers, Grieken en Romeinen. Amsterdam. About 18 x 31 cm.
Here a figure of Christ sits among a conglomeration of Egyptian and Classical religious artifacts. In his hands he holds a tabled which reads, “I am the alpha and the omega”. Behind him, is a monument on which are carved hieroglyphics with an attempted translation beside them. With his foot, Christ topples a sarcophagus, as Ezekiel 39:10 is cited (“They will loot those who looted them and plunder those who plundered them...”). Yet despite all this talk of dismantling the Olde Timey religions, the obvious fascination with them persists.
Trompe-l'œil hieroglyphics.
Characters from Living and Dead Languages. c. 1750. Engraving on paper. Plate 5 from Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, ed. By Denis Dederot. France. About 30 x 46 cm.
The Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts is another of those monumental publications so popular during The Enlightenment. The work consisted of 28 volumes and included some 72,000 articles. The work was heavily illustrated with pictures and tables (11 of the volumes were plates), among them this attempt to correspond ancient glyphs with modern letters.
In column No. 1, are listed Ancient Egyptian cursive scripts, either in Hieratic or Demotic. Hieratic, or “priestly” script was typically used in sacred documents, while Ddemotic was used for more administrative and mundane purposes. Subsequent columns list characters in Phenician, Palmyrenian, Syro-Galileen and Hebrew alphabets. While the work appears authoritative, it was composed prior to Champollion’s more accurate transliteration in 1822.
A closer look at the old school primer.
Egyptian Motif Vase. C. 1900. Majolica Vase. Schiller & Sons, Bohemia. About 27 cm. tall.
This earthenware vase embodies the pastiche style so prevalent in Egyptomanian objet with its pharaonic face, pseudo-hieroglyphs, and classicizing serpentine handles. It was produced by Wilhelm Schiller (and sons), who began producing works of majolica in Bodenbach in 1829. Works from this manufactory enjoyed great popularity on both sides of the Atlantic up until The Great War, when production ceased. Perhaps that explains the glum visage.
Best of luck translating this one...
Decorative Cartouche. c. 1930. Pressed glass cabochon. Bohemia. About 4 cm.
Faux hieroglyphs are impressed on a glass cabochon most likely intended for a piece of jewelry. The craft of fine glassmaking in Bohemia dates back to the 13th Century, and during the Art Deco period, many such small pieces were created to satisfy the demand for inexpensive Egyptomanian necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.
Egyptian Language. Easy Lessons in Egyptian Hieroglyphics. 1976 reprint of 1910 text. Hardcover book by Sir E. A. Wallis Budge. Dover Publications. About 13 x 19 cm., 246 pp.
I don’t know about “easy”, but this little handbook would certainly assure one’s status as dilettante should one be seen wandering about the museum with it in consultation. In addition to being an eminent Egyptologist, Budge was also a member of the Ghost Club (founded 1862), an organization dedicated to investigating phenomena of a spiritual nature. One wonders if they had their own horse-drawn Mystery Coach. Zoinks!
Egyptian do-re-mis?
Hieroglyphics The Writing of Ancient Egyot. 1996. Hardcover book by Maria Carmella Betró. Abbeville Press. About 17 x 24 cm., 252 pp.
A very nice encyclopedic overview of several hundred common hieroglyphs with accompanying descriptions that put the symbols in context. Each entry depicts the symbol in both hieroglyphic and cursive texts (e.g., demotic), and many are illustrated with examples in situ.
Each hieroglyph is well-documented and illustrated.
Weighing of the Soul. c. 1990. Gouache on papyrus. Modern copy from an excerpt of The Egyptian Book of the Dead. Egypt. About 39 x 28 cm.
Created for the tourist trade, this facsimile was acquired should, however unlikely, Imhotep make an impromptu visit for some light incantations and a spot of tana leaf tea.
What Sphinx You?
“The sphinx is... the symbol of the symbolic itself.”
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Aesthetics. 1: 360.
As with any enigmatic figure worth its reputation, the lore of the sphinx is replete with contradictions and vagaries. After the pyramid, no symbol is more emblematic of Ancient Egypt than the chimeric sphinx. For the Egyptians, the sphinx was a male entity, composed of a human head atop a lion’s body with falcon wings. While powerful, the Egyptians believed the sphinx to be a mostly benevolent creature. In contrast, the Greek sphinx bore a female head and was conceived of as treacherous and sinister. Someone more adept than I might wish to make some inferences about gender and status here.
A progenitor of The Riddler, the Greek sphinx devoured all those who were unable to decipher her queries. According to that prolific tragedian (no, the other one), she was only bested by some guy who had quite a few issues of his own. From The Renaissance onward, sphinxes were seen throughout the decorative arts, from arras to bronze embellishments on furniture. In architecture, sphinxes adorned cornices and guarded entrances (their traditional role). In the 19th Century, sphinxes were reborn as alluring femmes fatales and espied upon many a gentleman’s desktop (in a cloistered private study, of course).
Book of the Sphinx. 2004. Hardcover book by Willis Goth Regier. University of Nebraska Press. About 16 x 24 cm., 300 pp.
There aren’t many books devoted exclusively to the Sphinx, so while we ponder this riddle, this volume will do nicely.
The answer(s) to the riddle?
Winged Male Sphinx. Third quarter of the 19th Century. Bronze decorative ornament. About 26 x 15 cm.
This sphinx was most likely intended as a decorative topper for an Egyptian Revival clock or piece of furniture. It represents a traditional Neoclassical representation of a sphinx in a monumental style, poised and serene.
A monument to expression(less)ism.
Mannerist-Style Female Sphinx. Third quarter of the 19th Century (?). Bronze sculpture on marble plinth. France. About 20 x 16 cm.
During the 16th century, mannerist-style sphinxes began to appear as architectural elements and in widely circulated prints. This style of sphinx differs from the Neoclassical version (above) in the more naturalistic rendition of the feline body and coifed hair. Where classic Renaissance art existed out of time, Mannerist art depicted a fleeing moment, as seen in the slight turn of the Sphinx’s head.
The riddle is, just what has captured her gaze?
Male Sphinx Chenet. Late 19th Century. Bronze chenet, with later added marble base. About 20 x 16 cm.
A more pleasing way of saying “andirons”, chenets were used to elevate fireplace logs and to keep them from rolling out and setting the arras hangings aflame. While utilitarian andirons have been around since at least the Late Iron Age, during the Renaissance and beyond, they became increasingly more decorative. This piece was considered to be of sufficient beauty as to be elevated from its fiery fate to that of a revered objet.
Engaged in a contemplative paws.
Winged Female Sphinx Desk Tray. c. 1920. Bronze tray. About 20 cm. long
This sphinxian figure differs from its comrades in that it features crossed paws, which are more befitting the overall design as a receptacle for styli and other necessities of the modern scribe.
Is it just me, or does this visage resemble a Victorian monarch of some notoriety?
Male Sphinx Ashtray. c. 1930. Ceramic ashtray. Designed by Charles Vos. Maastricht. About 22 cm. long
This piece was created as a promotion for The Royal Sphinx factory (est. 1834). Rendered in an Art Deco style, it enabled the user to user to develop emphysema in a most elegant manner. Despite its name, Royal Sphinx produced few such chimera, regal or otherwise, choosing instead to focus on dinnerware and vases of a predominantly blue complexion. Oh well...
The simplified face appears to reflect the effects of the eroding sands of time... Either that, or it was simply less expensive to sculpt and produce.
Egyptian Revival Canopic Jar. 1978 (reissue of c. 1790 piece). Black Terracotta Jasperware. England. About 24 cm. tall.
Josiah Wedgwood was an early 18th Century-adopter of the Ancient Egyptian style, presenting it as a contrast (or complement- you decide) to the more prevalent Classical style. Wedgewood’s pieces were created in an unglazed matte style, known as Jasperware, so called because of its hardness’s resemblance to that of the stone jasper. In the late 1970s, many of Wedgewood’s Egyptian design pieces were reissued to coincide with the Pharaonic traveling show made popular by Mr. Martin’s unforgettable performance one Saturday night.
Before the discovery of Ziploc bags, Ancient Egyptians used canopic jars to house the organs of those undergoing the mumification process. In a typical procedure, four jars (each representing one of the four sons of Horus) were used to house the vital organs. The human headed jar represented Imsety and contained the liver. In contemporary times, these jars remain empty, serving as decorative objects, unless, of course, you happened to be named Jeffrey or Hannibal.
Facing South, please.
Male Sphinx Nodder. c. 1990
Plastic and felt desk novelty. China. About 14 cm. long
The transition from majestic bronze sculpture pieces to whimsical plastic playthings is perhaps emblematic of how our culture, artistic and otherwise, has changed over the last 150 years or so. Nod your head if you agree...
Playthings of the Gods
An appreciation for Ancient Egypt is in no way limited to the turning of dusty pages nor the staid contemplation of decorative items. Active play too, has its place amongst discerning Egyptomaniacs.
At the Pharoah's Court. 1970s.
Plastic playset. Atlantic set #31. Italy. 60 mm. scale figures.
Atlantic produced a number of HO and 60 mm-scale historical playsets composed of soft plastic figures. With this one, you may recreate an Ancient Egyptian throne room- mummy included. Note the scribe attentively capturing the Pharoah’s every utterance.
And here you thought fanboys were a modern phenomenon.
Cleopatra and Caesar Playset. 2017. Plastic playset. Playmobil set #5394. Germany. 1:24 scale figures.
As part of its History line, the German alternative to those Danish bricks that have agonizingly pierced many an unshod sole, released this hommage to Liz and Rex. Included in the set were the Alexandrian Queen, a Roman Emperor, and a servant. Are snakes included? A friend of mine wanted me to asp.
Cosplay Deco
And in keeping with our tradition, which may, at any moment, be relegated to one of the many dustbins of history, we end with a treat.
Costume design. c. 1920 Gouache on paper. The Colonies (a.k.a. United States). About 28 x 37 cm.
What better way to conclude our appreciation of Ancient Egypt than with a costume design for an as-yet-unidentified dramatic spectacle. Resembling a lithe caryatid, the female figure is adorned with an engaging brassiere (“Hey! My eyes are up... oh, never mind”). We are left to our ample imaginations as to the role this character played in the story, but we can make an educated guess...
Egypt’s might is tumbled down Down a-down the deeps of thought; Greece is fallen and Troy town, Glorious Rome hath lost her crown, Venice’ pride is nought.
But the dreams their children dreamed Fleeting, unsubstantial, vain, Shadowy as the shadows seemed, Airy nothing, as they deemed, These remain.
- Mary Elizabeth Coleridge
Thankfully, the material results of these Orientalist fantasies remain, allowing us the opportunity to gaze upon them and muse about what they meant then and now. Until the next entry, which I hope will appear somewhat before the next civilizational collapse, I remain your faithful Archivist.
Thank you for visiting.
le Compte Paul Gregoire de Gustibus
“Nothing is but what is not.”
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