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 The
Egyptian Revival:
Ancient Egypt as the Inspiration for Design Motifs in the West
In this beautifully and comprehensively illustrated and closely
argued book, a completely updated and much expanded third edition
of his magisterial survey, Professor Curl describes in lively
and stimulating prose the numerous revivals of the Egyptian style
from Antiquity to the present day, drawing on a wealth of sources.
His pioneering and definitive work analyses the remarkable and
persistent influence of Anciet Egyptian culture on the West. The
author deftly develops his argument that the civilisation of Ancient
Egypt is central, rather than peripheral, to the development of
much Western architecture, art, design, and religion. He charts
the persistence of Egyptian motifs in design from Graeco-Roman
Antiquity, through the Mediaeval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neo-Classical
periods, and goes on to trace the rise of Egyptology in the nineteenth
century, twentieth-century manifestations of Egyptianisms prompted
by the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, and various aspects of
Egyptianising tendencies in the Art Deco style and afterwards.
Most startling of all, the author argues that Christianity owes
as much, and probably more, to the Nile than to the Jordan.
The Egyptian Revival: Ancient Egypt as the Inspiration for
Design Motifs in the West (Abingdon & New York: Routledge
Taylor & Francis Group, 2005).
ISBN: 9-78-0-415-36119-4 (hbk.) & 9-78-0-415-36118-7 (pbk.)
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Reviews
'fascinating and thoroughly researched...A...revelation is the
author's convincing argument that in liturgy and beliefs the cult
of the Egyptian goddess Isis was a real influence on the early
Christian Church...the resemblances between Isis and the Virgin
Mary are far too close and numerous to be accidental'
Transactions of The Ancient Monuments Society
'...a major study of synthesis...Densely scholarly, with an extremely
useful fifty-five-page glossary and a sixty-one page bibliography,
the book impresses with its depth of learning and deftness of
connections. Equally, it stumulates with its dynamic....analyses
of a vast range of tributes to the enduring lure of the Nilotic
style'
The Antiquaries Journal being The Journal of The Society of
Antiquaries of London
'The historical and geographical scope of Curl's survey is impressive
and the huge range of examples he employs is convincing...The
Egyptian Revival is a fantastic source book. There is no doubting
the breadth of evidence collected...'
Newsletter of The Society of Architectural Historians of Great
Britain
'...well written and readable...'
Times Higher Education Supplement
It is hard to imagine a more stimulating or comprehensive work
on this subject...Every book Curl writes is distinguished by his
rare and compelling combination of passion and scholarship...His
masterly book will be the definitive study for many years'
Apollo: The International Magazine of Art and Antiques
'...fascinating and provocative...Curl's vigorous and scholarly
narrative is particularly valuable in uncovering unexpected fusions
of ideas throughout history...'
The Architectural Review
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