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I n 1922, King Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered near Luxor (ancient Thebes) in Egypt. The tomb, unlike most of those belonging to the ancient pharaohs, had been untouched by grave-robbers, hidden by debris for more than 3,000 years.
Thousands of objects were found buried with King Tut including disassembled chariots, textiles, and jewelry. The trove of opulent treasures set off what would come to be called "Egyptomania" and "Tutmania" in Europe and the United States. Although Egyptian Revival decorative arts was already an established style, it gained renewed fervor after 1922.
Jewelry houses were not immune. Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier, in particular, created some of the most wonderfully fantastical pieces of the era, paying tribute to the mania and the imported design aesthetic from the Egyptian kings of yore.
Next week, Sotheby's Geneva will host High Jewelry and Fine Jewelry auctions, which include beautifully wrought pieces from the craze. For this week's shortlist, we chose our five favorites. You can bid on them now!
Egyptomania was a short-lived Art Deco design period, and very few of these pieces were produced in the decade of the craze. This excellent bracelet was created in the 1920s and features ancient Egyptian figures set with buff-top sapphires, rubies, emeralds and onyx, pavé-set with old European-, circular- and single-cut diamonds, accented by openwork ancient Egyptian symbols. There are five figures in total, including a depiction of the falcon representing the god Horus. The more you look at this bracelet, the more you will notice. It is a true piece of art.
Cartier Temple Brooches are some of the most collectible pieces to come out of the maison in the Art Deco era. It's very easy to see why: they are incredibly charming and detailed. They are often tiny models of Greek temples, but this one was designed as the pylon of an Egyptian temple, flanked by an obelisk and a palm tree, pavé-set with single-cut diamonds, accented by a baguette and a bullet-shaped diamond.
The master craftsmen at Cartier even provided dimension to the temple, adding an additional "view" of sides of the towers. Every bit of this brooch was treated with care and thoughtfulness.
Auger was a Parisian jewelry house from the turn of the century that specialized in nature-inspired jewels. This Art Nouveau necklace (i.e. pre-King Tutankhamun craze) is an early example of Egyptian Revival. Set with an ancient Egyptian-style scarab, and jeweled beetle which features green and blue enamel plique-à-jour enamel, it is further accented by lapis lazuli and highlighted by rose- and single-cut diamonds.
While this brooch is not Egyptian Revival, we're including it here because it was made around the same time and harkens to a similar theme. This turquoise, sapphire, and diamond piece is actually a combination of ancient and Art Deco—Cartier used an existing turquoise talisman from the Persia region and then designed the setting around it in the 1920s.
Jacques Cartier was known to frequently travel to the Middle East and use what he learned and discovered to create some of the most spectacular pieces in the maison's archive. This brooch, which is a true meeting of East and West, is a perfect encapsulation of that inquisitive design ethos.
Ma'at was the ancient Egyptian goddess of truth, cosmic balance, order, and justice and she was often depicted holding a white ostrich feather. This rock crystal brooch with diamond and onyx accents was designed in her honor—The Feather of Ma'at (it also features on the Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet above). The belief was that when the deceased entered the afterlife, their heart was weighed against this feather to establish whether they were worthy of entering paradise.
It's a delicate and beautiful example of how Egyptian Revival could be employed subtly, but to great effect.
