A Regency parcel gilt and carved giltwood 'Egyptian Revival' daybed, circa 1815

This remarkable daybed is conceived in the Egyptian taste, fashioned in the form river boat and resting on crocodile feet, and demonstrates the Egyptomania that swept across Regency England following the archaeological discoveries made during Napoleon's military campaigns of 1798. These otherworldly monuments were recorded by Baron Vivan Denon in his Voyage dans la Basse et la Haute Egypte which was published in London in 1802. Given that Napoleon hoped to reflect his own glory in ancient Egypt's grandeur, the Egyptian style in England became a patriotic symbol of his defeat by Nelson at the battle of the Nile (1798) and the battle of Trafalgar (1805). The style particularly resonated among patrons such as the Prince of Wales and his immediate circle. A caned day-bed of the same is illustrated in R. Edwards, The Dictionary of English Furniture, London, 1954, vol II, p. 145, fig. 25.