On January 23 Bonhams will hold its first Egyptian Revival sale of works inspired by Ancient Egyptian art - an auction of works of art inspired by Ancient Egypt, which will coincide with the Tutankhamun Exhibition at the O2 Dome.

Books, furniture, paintings and jewellery feature, including works from Europe and the Middle East. There are pieces from the Grand Tour period, which coincided with the first Egyptian Revival, to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in the 1920s and subsequent second Egyptian Revival, all the way to the present day.

“People have been fascinated by Ancient Egypt since the Battle of the Nile between Nelson and Napoleon in 1798,” says Madeleine Perridge, of the Bonhams antiquities department.

“That was when the Rosetta stone was found. French and English scholars raced to translate the hieroglyphs on the stone. Although the French won that race, the British won the battle, which is why the Rosetta stone is here, in the British Museum. However, Napoleon had a fascination for Egypt, and in France the Empire style began utilising aspects of Egyptian design, heralding the first Egyptian Revival.

Posted: 12|20|07 at 9:31 am. Filed under: Auction News.