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A remarkable Complete Empire Style Mahogany Suite comprising of a bureau plat, a desk chair, a pair of tub wing chairs and a leather fronted cartoniere with 27 drawers. All of the pieces are all mounted with gilt bronzes depicting female Egyptian heads and terminating in paw feet, both representative of the ?Egyptomania? influencing European artists in this period. ?Egyptomania? has become a well documented phenomenon of the Nineteenth Century, which saw the appropriation of the styles or specifics of ancient Egypt to all aspects of contemporary culture and design. The origins of this trend can be dated back to the mid Eighteenth century, when, inspired by the Grand Tour and greatly fired on by the paintings of Hubert Robert and his imitators, Egypt began to strongly influence the design of architechture, furniture, and objects d?art. This period saw the use of Egyptian themes brought back by travellers, at a time when increasing numbers were discovering Egypt. The intensifying of this Eighteenth Century interest in all things Egyptian, into what we know as ?Egyptomania? by the Nineteenth Century, had two key drivers. Firstly, General Napoleon Bonaparte?s expedition to Egypt between 1798 and 1801 transformed the relations between the west and the East. The revolutionizing feature of his Egyptian enterprise was that his troops were accompanied by a large entourage of scientists, technicians and artists who would become the founders of modern Egyptology. In the following years this new science developed into a vogue in Europe that was to become Egyptomania. As a result the festivities surrounding the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, and the inauguration of the Cairo Opera house in 1871, received tremendous response and became a sensation in Europe. For these celebrations the Khedive (Viceroy) of Egypt, Ismail Pasha, commissioned Aida, the first serious attempt to draw upon Egypt?s archaeological treasures. This opera, perhaps the best example of a combination of the labours of artists and archaeologists, took on the character of a national opera and became a symbol for the Egyptian Renaissance and the Western fascination with Egypt. The success of Aida, and the performing arts in recreating an era in gerenal, was undoubtedly the second leading factor in creating Egyptomania. Both the Cairo premiere as well as the Paris premiers of Aida created waves of sensation that influenced generations of artists. French, circa 1880.
Condition: Very Good