An important milestone in the history of the study and revival of the art of Ancient Egypt is the Egyptian campaign of Napoleon Bonaparte (1798 1801). From a military point of view, he was unsuccessful Napoleon was defeated, but for science and art, this campaign was of great importance.

In 1799, the Rosetta Stone was discovered, the deciphering of which by Champollion gave a serious impetus to the development of Egyptology. In addition, following the results of a scientific expedition organized by Napoleon, scientists published a monumental ten-volume “Description of Egypt” (1809 1829). Another significant work was the book of one of the participants of the expedition the artist (and in the future the first director of the Louvre) Dominique Vivant-Denon “Journey in Upper and Lower Egypt” (1802), accompanied by a large number of his own sketches of the monuments of Ancient Egypt. After its release, Europe was swept by the first big wave of Egyptomania the use of Egyptian motifs became a characteristic feature of the Empire style that was dominant at that time. Jewelers also responded to the new fashion, and soon Egyptian-themed jewelry filled the shop windows on the busy streets of Paris.

The next wave of Egyptomania was provoked by the systematic excavations begun by the French Egyptologists Auguste Mariette and Gaston Maspero in the second half of the 19th century, as well as the construction of the Suez Canal in 1859-1869, headed by a French joint-stock company. Two years before the completion of construction, interest in Egypt was so great that at the World Exhibition of 1867 in Paris, a stunning Egyptian pavilion appeared, which made a strong impression on visitors through it, many for the first time discovered the mysterious charm of a distant ancient country. This pavilion was built to display the collection of archaeological finds of the Bulak Museum (now the Egyptian Museum in Cairo), but in addition to antiquities, the exhibition featured Egyptian-style jewelry created by Gustave Beaugrand, as well as jewelers from Boucheron, Mellerio and others.

From that moment on, the passion for Egyptian-inspired jewelry spread throughout the continent, and many famous jewelers, including Alessandro Castellani, Carlo Giuliano, Eugène Fortenay, began to create jewelry in the so-called “Egyptian Renaissance” style. Modern decorations were eclectic variations on the ancient Egyptian theme, distinguished by complexity, even some excess, which, in general, did not contradict the art of historicism, which has the same features, especially in its late phase.

Continuous research and amazing finds increased interest in the art of Egypt at the end of the 19th and especially at the beginning of the 20th century, when a number of important discoveries were made. In the 1880s, Gaston Maspero begins clearing the temples of Luxor and Karnak, in 1905-1908 Edward Ayrton discovered the tombs of the pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings, and in 1912 Ludwig Borchardt finds a bust of Nefertiti, to name but a few of the landmark discoveries of that period.

In the modern era, Egyptian motifs were modified in accordance with the new fashion. The modern “Egyptian Renaissance” was vividly embodied in the jewelry art of such significant masters as Rene Lalique, Georges Fouquet, Lucien Gautret and others.

Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb exactly 100 years ago in 1922 was the culmination of Egyptomania around the world. The stunning arts and crafts found in the interior of the tomb, as well as the jewelry and the legendary golden mask found on the mummy itself, caused such a stir that the Egyptian style became one of the key stylistic sources of Art Deco.

Well, the first to react to the archaeological sensation, of course, were the jewelers. Since that same year, 1922, renowned jewelery houses such as Cartier, Tiffany Co., Lacloche Freres, Van Cleef Arpels have been creating exquisite Egyptian-inspired gems to meet the skyrocketing demand.

Cartier were probably one of the main creators of Egyptian Revival jewelry. Since 1910, long before the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, the firm’s jewelers have been making jewelry using the Description of Egypt and the Grammar of Ornament published in 1856 as visual sources. In addition to reinterpreting the Egyptian motifs borrowed from the Grammar, Cartier often used authentic Egyptian antiquities in their jewelry. The largest Parisian antiquarians supplied Louis Cartier with artifacts from Egypt, and these miniature treasures in a precious frame made of gold, diamonds and other precious stones made an incredible impression on noble customers. With the advent of Art Deco and the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb, Cartier, like other firms, rethinks the Egyptian style and interprets it in the spirit of the new time.

Tiffany Co. also brought their own unique style to the Egyptian Renaissance. Louis, the son of the founder of the company, Charles Tiffany, was fond of many areas of art and in 1893, after long experiments with stained glass, he discovered a new type of glass favril. Favril glass jewelers Tiffany Co. created wonderful iridescent beetles and encrusted them in a variety of art objects. But besides this, the jewelry company has created many interesting jewelry in the style of the “Egyptian Renaissance”.

The last two jewelry firms, Lacloche Freres and Van Cleef Arpels, were similar in their approaches to working with Egyptian heritage. Both firms used platinum as the basis for jewelry created in the form of a mosaic of precious stones. Traditionally, diamonds served as a background against which images of ancient Egyptian people, birds, animals and flowers were laid out from emeralds, rubies and sapphires, the images of which were borrowed from paintings and reliefs in Egyptian temples. Perhaps it was Van Cleef Arpels who first paid attention to such everyday ancient Egyptian subjects as catching fish and birds, or playing the harp and board games.

Lacloche Freres works in the same manner, but in 1925 he creates a unique bracelet in the spirit of futurism, where not only the symbols and motifs of Egyptian art are very skillfully combined, but also the stones from which the composition is built. The jewelry firm turns to a rather unusual, but very effective combination of precious and semi-precious stones. As in other works, diamonds are used as a background, but instead of rubies, emeralds and sapphires, jewelers take turquoise, black pearls and mother-of-pearl.

With the end of the Art Deco era, Egyptian passions subside, but several times interest in this ancient country returns, first in the 1960s, when the legendary film “Cleopatra” starring Elizabeth Taylor was released, and then in the 1980s and 1990s.