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Lot Essay
This mirror reflects the fashion for ancient Egyptian motifs in the early nineteenth century, as inspired by the archaelogical discoveries made during Napoleon's military campaigns of 1798 and recorded by Baron Vivan Denon in his Voyage dans la Basse et la Haute Egypte, published in London in 1802. The Egyptian style was further popularized in Great Britain following Nelson's victories in Egypt. The vogue for Egypt played an important role in all aspects of art, architecture and the decorative arts and was disseminated through design books published by such influential figures as Charles Percier and Pierre-Frangois-Leonard Fontaine in France, as well as Thomas Hope and George Smith in England.
The unbounded imagination of some designers drew unhappy commentary from some artisans. Amusingly, Richard Brown took exception to the 'introduction of serpents and other obnxious reptiles, to which we have a natural antipathy'. A pedestal cupboard of a similar design with crocodile frieze and tapering Egyptian terms is illustrated in F. Collard, Regency Furniture, Woodbridge, 1985, p.214.
The unbounded imagination of some designers drew unhappy commentary from some artisans. Amusingly, Richard Brown took exception to the 'introduction of serpents and other obnxious reptiles, to which we have a natural antipathy'. A pedestal cupboard of a similar design with crocodile frieze and tapering Egyptian terms is illustrated in F. Collard, Regency Furniture, Woodbridge, 1985, p.214.