EGYPTIAN DELIGHTS
Exhibit highlights era when Europe ‘discovered’ Egypt
Ancient Egypt remained a mystery to most of Western Europe for centuries. While the magical civilization with its pyramids, temples, pharaohs and hieroglyphics had fascinated the world since the Greek and Roman periods, it wasn’t until Napoleon’s occupation of Egypt from 1798 to 1801 that the wonders of that culture were documented, ultimately drawing attention to that country and to the Orient in general.
In 1798, Napoleon led his army into Egypt. While the French campaign ended in military defeat in 1801, it was a major scholarly and artistic achievement. Along with 55,000 soldiers, Napoleon brought more than 155 scientists, engineers, and artists — known as the savants — to study and record every aspect of the country.
“At the time of the expedition they had no idea how old the civilization was or the names of many of the pharaohs,” said Professor Bob Brier, one of the world’s leading Egyptologists. He visited the Vero Beach Museum of Art to give lectures about the display and its importance in the history of art. “So when Napoleon comes to Egypt, it’s almost a rediscovery of an ancient world. His army of scholars and skilled artists spent three years recording and measuring Egyptian wall paintings and temples for the first accurate depiction of Egypt.
“It was during his expedition that the Rosetta Stone was found, written in Egyptian Demotic, Egyptian hieroglyphics and Greek. As soon as they found the stone, the savants knew that it was the key to deciphering the hieroglyphics written on ancient tombs and pyramids. They could read the Greek and the Greek passage stated that the three scripts were identical in meaning. It took 20 years to decipher but, because of that find, we can now read hieroglyphics.”
DAHESH MUSEUM
Upon his return to France, this work was compiled into a monumental encyclopedia, Description de l’Égypte [Description of Egypt], published between 1809 and 1828. It was the largest publication in the world at that time. Its first edition comprised 10 volumes of text and 13 volumes of engraved plates, with more than 3,000 illustrations. More than 50 scholars contributed articles and at least 2,000 people were involved in its technical production, including 400 engravers. More than a million sheets of papyrus paper were used, each page with a unique watermark that becomes visible when held up to a light.
“These engravings are the first time that Europe sees what Egypt really looked like,” Brier continued. “Europe goes crazy looking at the temples and pyramids. There are also two volumes depicting what Egypt looked like in its modern state in 1799, with people in their turbans and their colored robes. This is all very exotic to the Europeans and it sparks an interest in Egypt and the Orient ultimately heralding the Golden Age of Orientalism.”
By the mid-19th century, new forms of transportation created a flood of travelers, writers, scholars and artists heading to the Orient. Some went to the region on official government missions; others were hired by elites and royalty to capture the mystery of the Egyptian culture. The result was an extraordinary range of artwork depicting the people, monuments and culture of the land.
The Dahesh Museum of Art in New York is the only institution in the United States that is devoted to collecting, exhibiting and interpreting works by Europe’s academically trained artists of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of their masterworks are currently on loan and displayed at the Vero Beach Museum of Art. Ancient Egypt & the Napoleonic Era: Masterworks from the Dahesh Museum of Art explores artistic visions of the culture and people, from the time when Napoleon entered Egypt with his army of draftsmen, artists and engineers, until the academic artistic phenomenon that flourished in the 19th century. “This is one of the most impressive traveling exhibitions of Oriental art I’ve ever seen,” Brier said. “In addition to the art from renowned European artists, the Vero Beach Museum of Art will have two original Egyptian engravings available for purchase in their gift shop — an extremely rare opportunity to own a piece of history, over 200 years old.”
Ancient Egypt & the Napoleonic Era: Masterworks from the Dahesh Museum of Art will be on view at the Vero Beach Museum of Art through April 28. In addition to daily docent-guided tours of the exhibition, there will be related programming for all age groups including lectures, art talks in the gallery, studio art classes and family art projects. For more information and to register for programs, visit vbmuseum.org or call 772.231.0707, ext. 116.
See the original article in print publication
Feb. 29, 2024
