Egyptomania in Paris: A Scavenger Hunt Blog

About this Blog

     On 18 June 2013, students in "Building Paris," part of the University of South Florida's Art and Art History Summer program in Paris, fanned out across the city in search of examples of Egyptomania--art created in the spirit of ancient Egypt. Course instructor Dr. Mary B. Shepard (aka "La prof")assigned herself two sites as well, both of which were new to her. Her first two posts, on the Parc Monceau and Montparnasse Cemetery, bookend the period of Egyptomania we explored--from the second half of the eighteenth century to the turn of the twentieth century. But the real work was done by the outstanding students in the course. They are:

Maura Gleeson, MA student in Art History, University of Florida and 

Phillip Townsend, Senior Art History Major, University of South Florida

Bryanna Tramontana, Senior Art History Major, University of South Florida

Dustin Beck, Senior Studio Art Major, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

Anita Braham, Senior Art History Major, University of Florida

Beth Plakidas, MFA student, University of South Florida and 

Ali Terndrup, MA student in Art History, University of South Florida

Anna Ross, MA student in Art History, University of Florida

Emily Reed, Senior Art History Major, University of South Florida

Becca Barton, Senior Graphic Design Major, University of Tampa

Left to right: Anita Braham, Becca Barton, Lindsay Persohn, Ph.D. student in Education, University of South Florida, and Emily Reed

THE SOURCES WE CONSULTED

Appelbaum 2012. Diana Muir Appelbaum,  "Jewish Identity and Egyptian Revival Architecture," Journal of Jewish Identities, vol. 5 (2012): 1-23.

Curl 2005. James Stevens Curl, The Egyptian Revival: Ancient Egypt as the Inspiration for Design Motifs in the West (Abingdon and New York, 2005).

Humbert and Price 2003. Jean-Marcel Humbert and Clifford Price, ed., Imhotep Today: Egyptianizing architecture (London, 2003).

Paris, Ottawa, Vienna 1994. Egyptomania: Egypt in Western Art, 1730-1930, exhibition catalogue: Paris, Musée du Louvre, et al. (Paris, 1994).

Porterfield 1998. Todd Porterfield, The Allure of Empire: Art in the Service of French Imperialism, 1798-1836 (Princeton, 1998).

And in French:

Humbert 1998. Jean-Marcel Humbert, L’Egypt à Paris (Paris, 1998). 

Lesbros 2012. Dominique Lesbros, Curiosités de Paris (Paris, 2012). 

Parc Monceau: Clue

The most perfect of shapes;

Equal on all sides;

Universal.

A "folly," but serious,

meant for contemplation of the world's oldest symbol.

Parc Monceau: Answer

Parc Monceau, Pyramid Folly, 1779. Park entrance on the Boulevard de Courcelles. 8th arrondissement. Metro: Monceau

Photo: Mary B. Shepard

One of the only original structures to survive in the park, this pyramid was once joined by other exotic structures including a Dutch windmill, an Islamic minaret, and an ancient-style Temple of Mars. 

Photo: Mary B. Shepard

The fad for "follies"--these miniaturizing architectural structures--began in England with the aim of condensing time and place within a picturesque garden setting. The Duke of Chartres, a cousin of King Louis XVI, was an avid fan of English-style gardens and endeavored to create a French interpretation in the years just before the French Revolution.

Photo: Mary B. Shepard

Given its geometric perfection, the Egyptian pyramid was among of the most enduring of forms. The Duke of Chartres was also the grand master of the most prominent Masonic Lodge in Paris; for Freemasons, the triangle embodies sacred geometry and represents the Great Architect of the Universe. Thus, the inclusion of this pyramid in the duke's picturesque garden demonstrated both the French appropriation of ancient civilization and testified to the duke's Masonic beliefs.

Photo: Mary B. Shepard

The herms flanking the now-shuttered entryway, are topped with human heads wearing a striped nemes--the traditional cloth head covering reserved for the pharaoh.  Time has not been kind to these sentinels.

Montparnasse: Clue

Silent
Enduring
Temples.
Luxor via Solomon's Temple.
But, in Paris.

Montparnasse: Answer

Egyptian-style Mausolea in the Montparnasse Cemetery, 3, boulevard Edouard Quinet. 
14th arrondissement. Metro: Raspail

Photo: Mary B. Shepard

Nestled in the "Little Cemetery," located across the rue Émile Richard from the main section of the Cimetière Montparnasse, these stately mausolea can be found in an early 20th-century grouping of Jewish burials. The mausolea are family tombs--with several generations resting beneath.

Photo: Mary B. Shepard

Find them by walking down the rue Émile Richard from the boulevard Edouard Quinet. Turn left at "Porte 4."

Photo: Mary B. Shepard

Why Egyptian-style mausolea for Jewish Parisians? Diana Muir Appelbaum, in writing about the adoption of Egyptian-style architecture for synagogues (Appelbaum 2012), suggests that adopting the architecture of ancient Egypt was a way of expressing "Jewish ancientness" and a sense of national identity, as Ancient Egyptian architecture was believed to evoke the ancient city of David and Solomon. Early in the 19th century, there was an idea that the Temple of Solomon had been built in the Egyptian style and even by the turn of the 20th century, Jewish synagogues were discussed as being built in a "Judeo-Egyptian style."

Photo: Mary B. Shepard

This extraordinary tomb (25th Division) bears no family name, but it is one of the most impressive. Shaped like a pylon, it features a concave cavetto cornice with stylized lotus petals. Below the cornice, the lintel is decorated with the winged solar disk--but with the Star of David replacing the sun.

Photo: Mary B. Shepard

Photo: Mary B. Shepard

Remnants of Nile Blue paint still survive on the stylized lotus petals decorating the cornice. 

Photo: Mary B. Shepard

Horus, with his wings outstretched, protects the tomb and its occupants. 

Saint-Sulpice: Clue

On a small cobbled street,
one eyes Saint-Sulpice.
The other, whose gaze fixes forward,
spies the Musée du Luxembourg. 

Saint-Sulpice: Answer

Pair of Sphinxes, c. 1780. 6, rue Férou. 

6th arrondissement. Metro: Saint-Sulpice

Photo: Phillip Townsend and Maura Gleeson

The lure of the artistic riches of Rome attracted both artists and art enthusiasts during the eighteenth century. Of course, ancient Rome had enjoyed its own version of "Egyptomania," with genuine Egyptian works brought to Rome, which--in turn--inspired ancient Roman copies and interpretations. Undoubtedly, Rome was the source for these wonderful gatepost sphinxes. 

Phillip catching the mood. Photo: Phillip Townsend and Maura Gleeson

The Hôtel de Luzy was built for a popular actress of the time, known as "Mademoiselle Luzy," c. 1770, and these guardian sphinxes on her entry gateposts have been dated to around 1780 (Humbert 1998). 

Photo: Phillip Townsend and Maura Gleeson

They are in the classic form of an Egyptian sphinx as Pharaoh: body of a lion topped by a human head wearing a striped nemes: head gear specific to the pharaoh. It covers the entire back of the head, while its flaps extend over the lion's shoulders.  

Photo: Phillip Townsend and Maura Gleeson

Perhaps the creation of Egyptianizing sphinxes like these inspired the acquisition of authentic Egyptian sphinxes, like this example from 399-380 BCE. The Louvre Museum acquired this ancient sphinx representing the Pharaoh Hakoris in 1807. Both the ancient and French examples provided a 'sphinx-checklist' for artists to work from: a muscular lion's body lying in with its forelegs extended; a lion's tail curled up around its haunches; and a human head wearing a striped nemes.