Neo-egyptian Textile Panel

A 19th-century textile panel, entirely hand-embroidered and hand-sewn, reflecting the “Egyptomania” that profoundly influenced the European decorative arts throughout that century. The work depicts, with great iconographic precision, a male deity identifiable as the god Horus, a symbol of royalty, protection, and rebirth. The figure is shown in profile, in accordance with the rigorous canons of Pharaonic art. This panel was made entirely by hand. An eloquent example of the 19th-century taste for “revival,” the piece is part of the fervor for exoticism that swept across Europe following Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign and was fueled throughout the century by major archaeological discoveries.