Egyptian Revival

Furniture

The Egyptian Revival is the same Egyptian style that was brought back around the 19^th and 20^th centuries. The major art works of Egyptian art such as the pyramids and the sphinx were used in various artistic media including architecture, furniture, ceramics, and silver.

Over the 19^th century, other continents started to get influenced from this Egyptian Revival. American tastes started to evolve from a highly ornamented artistic taste to a simpler sense of decoration.

The first wave of Egyptian Revival in the United States was firstly architectural such as the Washington Monument which was begun in 1848. There are also many examples of Egyptian-inspired cemetery architecture.

Architecture

Architecture in cemetery

The first wave of Egyptian Revival in the United States was firstly architectural such as the Washington Monument which was begun in 1848. There are also many examples of Egyptian-inspired cemetery architecture. 

The second wave of the Egyptian Revival style in the United States began around 1870. After the civil war, Americans became interested in other cultures. They mostly looked to the Middle East and North Africa for inspiration.

Most of the Egyptian Revival furniture is marked by a combination of Egyptian symbols with traditional Western forms, particularly the classical.

The sphinx, the pyramid and hieroglyphics (symbols) became common iconographical forms. In fact, they are all seen in Tiffany & Co.’s ornamented clock which was once owned by her father Charles.

Tiffany & Co.'s ornamented Clock

References:

Ickow Sara, 2010. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. [online] Available at: <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/erev/hd_erev.htm> [Accessed 12 May 2014].