The Eternal Fascination of Egyptomania

From the soaring pyramids of Giza, visited by millions each year, to Elizabeth Taylor’s sultry screen performance as Queen Cleopatra, Egyptian art and culture have been a perennial source of fascination for people around the globe for centuries. Egypt’s enduring mystique has been reimagined across artistic and architectural forms, resulting in waves of “Egyptomania” that have kept the imagery and ideas of the ancient culture alive.

Join us as we look back at the key waves of Egyptomania and highlight some of the best examples of how later designers channeled these ancient innovators in creative and compelling ways.

Ancient Egyptomania? The Greek and Roman Love of Egypt

A Victorian Yellow Gold, Ruby, and Diamond Ouroboros Snake Bangle Bracelet. Sold for $13,750 USD via Freeman’s | Hindman (September 2019).

While Egyptomania is often a term applied to more modern eras, an obsession with all things Egypt began not long after the empire’s peak years. Once Egypt fell under the control of Greek forces around the 3rd century BCE, the Greeks found the pull of Egyptian art and architecture too powerful to ignore. Rulers of this era – known as the Ptolemaic Dynasty owed to Ptolemy, Alexander the Great’s general who assumed control of Egypt during this era – worked to fashion themselves after Egyptians in their depictions. The famed Cleopatra VII, for example, who was Macedonian by heritage, nevertheless adopted traditional regal attire and comportment akin to an Egyptian Queen.

Excitement over Egyptian artifacts grew into the era of the Roman Empire as well. The 1st century BCE Roman tomb of Caius Cestius, for instance, emulated the form of a pyramid. Later, Not only after, Augustus exported numerous Egyptian obelisks – like the Obelisk of Montecitorio –  and sphinxes to Rome following his installation as Emperor. Part of his motivation was to celebrate his military triumph – his defeat of Cleopatra and Marc Antony in the Battle at Actium had all but secured his ability to take control of Rome – wrapped up in a passion for Egyptian forms. Romans also made their own copies of these forms as well as Egyptian landmarks, like a striking mosaic found at Palestrina that depicted the Nile River.

Napoleon and the 19th-Century Need for Egypt

Description de l’Egypte. Sold for £99,650 GBP via Sotheby’s (May 2011).

The eventual fall of Rome and the shifting landscapes of western Europe in the following centuries resulted in a diminished celebration of Egypt. The rise of 18th-century Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, however, resulted in renewed Egyptian excitement. This was owed in part to Napoleon’s imperial expeditions through Egypt in the final years of the 18th century designed to disrupt British control in the area.

Imagery and encounters from this voyage were compiled in Description de l’Égypte (1809-1829), a richly illustrated monograph that revealed to international audiences the splendors of ancient Egyptian architecture, monuments, and artifacts. Further fueling this excitement was Jean-François Champollion’s revelation in 1822 as to his deciphering of the hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone, which unlocked a previously enigmatic language. The outcome was myriad works that channeled Egyptian fantasies, from Jean-Baptiste Huet’s The Monuments of Egypt furniture fabric to elegant Egyptian Revival furniture sets that recalled the culture’s iconic subjects and styles. 

Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, O.M., R.A. – The Meeting of Antony & Cleopatra: 41 BC. Sold for $29,202,500 USD via Sotheby’s (May 2011).

As the 19th century progressed, Egyptian references sneaked into other art and architectural forms. Painters like Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and Jean Léon Gérome, for example, turned to subject matter taken from Egyptian history to enliven their canvases. Alma-Tadema found inspiration in ancient culture, using the famed love affair between Cleopatra and Marc Antony as the subject for his painting, The Meeting of Antony and Cleopatra: 41 BC (c. 1882). Similarly atmospheric was Alma-Tadema’s later work, The Finding of Moses (1904), where the ethereally exquisite Cleopatra dominates the biblical scene. For Gérome, more contemporary narratives gripped his brush. For example, his Bonaparte Before the Sphinx (1886), placed Napoleon face to face with the Great Sphinx at Giza whose crumbling features implied the enduring history of the land. Paintings like Gérome’s debuted at the Parisian Salon to great acclaim, a sign of the era’s larger fascination with all things Egyptian.

Bonaparte ante la Esfinge, por Jean-Léon Gérôme. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Architects also started to experiment with Egyptian motifs. In 1812, designer Peter Frederick Robinson conjured the Egyptian Hall for London’s bustling Piccadilly Street. Created to house the curiosities collection of William Bullock, the hall boasted a façade complete with pylon-like window frames and lotus columns flanking the main entryway.

King Tut and 20th-Century Egyptomania

By the early 20th century, Egyptomania was poised to become a global sensation, a scale that was tipped with Howard Carter’s incredible 1922 discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamun. Still today considered one of the greatest tomb discoveries thanks to its un-plundered contents, King Tut’s unspoiled burial riches became the image of Egyptian splendor and rekindled interest in re-interpreting these elements in various ways.

Egyptian-Revival Gold, Colored Stone, Faience and Steatite Necklace, Jules Wiese. Sold for $105,000 USD via Sotheby’s (December 2015).

Architects in America began employing Egyptianate elements across the country, from the design of a police station in New Orleans to movie theaters like that which still stands in rural Illinois. Meanwhile, Egyptomania took even greater hold among European designers across disciplines. Art Deco jewelry was soon infused with Egyptian references, while motifs like coiled serpents became common among bracelet and necklace designs. Even authors joined in on Egyptomania when best-selling mystery writer Agatha Christie debuted Death on the Nile in 1937.

Tinsel Town’s Take on Egyptomania

The Mummy Film Poster, Universal Pictures, 1932. Sold for $2,000 USD via Bonhams (December 2019).

Not long after, Hollywood directors began imagining Egyptian adaptations to perpetuate Egyptomania, from the campy horror of The Mummy (1932) – since remade several times – to the breathtaking beauty of Taylor in the leading role of Cleopatra (1963). Further reinforcing Egypt’s appeal in such captivating  movies was the impressive level of research that went into costume and set design. From the ornate props to Taylor’s breathtaking costumes, movies like Cleopatra cemented the status of Egypt as a culture for the ages.

Irene Sharaff Evening Robe Embroidered with Sacred Ibis, Made for Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, 1963. Sold for $62,500 USD via Christie’s (December 2011).

Egyptomania Continues: Contemporary References to Ancient Forms

The enduring pulse of Egyptomania has not ceased since. As a testament to that fact: a 1972 world tour of a selection of objects retrieved from King Tut’s tomb navigated the globe for almost a decade almost a decade thanks to audience demand. That blockbuster exhibition was entitled “The Treasures of Tutankhamun” and featured iconic works like the Funerary Mask of King Tut for which visitors lined up – at times for hours – to see. That same enthusiasm reemerged in the early 2020s when a variation of that exhibition, this time entitled, “Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh” toured once again.

Christian Dior Haute Couture Dress and Shawl, 2008. Sold for $10,625 USD via Freeman’s | Hindman (July 2019).

Beyond the unyielding desire to witness these amazing works, contemporary artists and designers have also worked to emulate ancient Egyptian motifs in their modern designs. Fashion stars like Christian Dior still weave Egyptian flair into their finer gowns. On a grander scale, the Luxor Las Vegas Hotel, now an icon of the city, first opened its doors to guests in October 1993 and came complete with a replica of one of the great pyramids and sphinx associated with ancient Egyptian ruler Khafre. 

Here too the hotel also benefited from a team of specialists who helped to guide some of the authenticity of the designs, which recalls that this ongoing love of Egyptian style is a passion for aesthetics paired with history. This respect along with this creative reimagining of Egyptian motifs serve as an eternal reminder of how captivating this ancient culture was. From small motifs embroidered on a gown to sweeping architectural facades and blockbuster Hollywood productions, it seems we will forever be drawn to the elegance and allure of Egypt.

Alexis Culotta

Alexis holds a PhD in art history and has enjoyed professional roles across gallery, museum, and academic settings. Thanks to these myriad experiences, Alexis holds a wealth of knowledge across the fields of fine and decorative arts and enjoys every opportunity to share these insights along with the stories of these makers and objects with Invaluable collectors.

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