Egyptian Revival and Bauhaus
(History of Design Object)
(Word Count)
Ancient Egypt is one of the four ancient civilizations of the world and is also recognized as the oldest kingdom on the Earth. There are a number of alluring attractions in Egypt including the Pyramids on the Valley of the Kings and the well-known Great Sphinx. Those internationally renowned historical sites were constructed during the era of ancient Egyptian civilization extended from the first waterfall of Nile River to the Delta area. This civilization continued from the Tasa Culture (5000 BC) till the Arab conquest of Egypt (614 AD). The culture of ancient Egypt is extremely rich and affected the artists of later generations profoundly as reflected in their painting, sculpture, literature, and even science.
The object that I have chosen as an example of Historicism is a settee that was designed by Thomas Hope. He was furniture designer who settled in England in 1802. This settee is a part of furnishings for an Egyptian room. According to the research, the size of this elegant settee is 610 x 1676 x 660 mm that has the space for three adults to sit on it next to each other. Unlike the traditionally-crafter settees, this piece created by Hope looks more like an armchair as it has no back. Instead, this settee consists of two armrests and a platform covered with cushion.
The body of the chair is made of oak and painted black. There are some gilded details on the wood. From the front, the armrests and platform are regular box-shaped. In addition, the two armrests are set on the short sides of platform; parallel to each other. There are some flowers with six circular petals around the platform. The front has fifteen flowers; evenly arranged in a straight line. A thin gold decorative line above the center of the armrests can be observed (close to the top on each side). Under the line, there is a classical ancient Greek style relief with a square gold ground panel. The relief is a depiction of the Anubis having a dog-head with a shoulder length headwear. Also, it depicts Horus with an eagle-head having a similar headwear kneeling on the ground towards a lotus. Anubis is kneeling on the left side with his left arm perching on his chest and his fingers holding together except the index finger that points towards the back. His right knee touches the ground for supporting his body. He holds his right arm up with a lance having a lotus-shaped tip. Anubis is, in fact, an Egyptian god who exists in the Egyptian mythology characterized by mummification and the afterlife. He is the guardian of the tomb.
Horus can be seen on the right side of the panel with the same post as Anubis. However, it is in the opposite direction. He possesses an eagle beak and a bulging face. The lance he holds is not shaped as a lotus. Instead, it is shaped as a water droplet. Furthermore, a circle that looks like a sun can be seen on his head. As far as Horus is concerned, he is the god of the ancient Egyptians like Anubis. He is the patron saint of Pharaoh and a symbol of royal power. The lotus they kneel to is setting on an elongated shelf with three visible half-opened petals. The shelf has a hollow circle in the middle. Four lines stick out from the circle. The upper two lines connect with two small lotuses whereas the bottom lines stand on the ground. There is a hexagonal star just above the lotus. Each short fringe of the armrests has a statue with the human head and lion's body on the ground. Two of them set in a parallel line looking in opposite directions. This is a famous Sphinx‘s shape; Sphinx being the oldest known Memorial Statue. Even the contemporary Egyptian scholars have not been successful in explaining the Sphinx. No one knows who made it, where did it come from, and why and when it was made.
The settee is supported on four short, flat, tapered legs with gilded lotus. The lotus consists of two eight-shaped lines. The endpoint of each line has a small flower. The bottom section is a scarab with four legs. The peaks of upper and bottom legs are connected together.
The cover of cushion has modern blue-green damask decorated with two bands of gold foliage. The decorative design on the damask exhibits four bands of the symmetrical and blooming flower with a similar pattern.. The two armrests are covered with the same damask and this fabric is edged with black and gold reproduction tassels.
The shape and design of the entire sofa demonstrates the Regency Egyptian Revival style. The style was prevalent during the early nineteenth century because the cultural treasures were plundered by imperialists to the European continent. However, the nineteenth century also witnessed the development of Modernism as people’s needs changed with the Industrial revolution. As a consequence, the furniture denoted more functionality and clean design.
Frank Lloyd Wright, a pioneer of typical Bauhaus style (Modernism) designed a series of furniture with simple geometric shapes and smooth lines. The design requirements in Bauhaus do not imitate any style and are free of decorative embellishments. In fact, this style only uses indirect and clear lines of the design. The sofa designed by Wright had coherency and integrity just like the sofa I have chosen as an example of Modernism. This red sofa (as shown in the figure) was designed on 1906. This sofa consists of two parts; the wood body and cushions. The wood is not painted so that its originality can be highlighted with its ocher brown color. The armrests are connected with the back and the square-sided parts. There are projection lines on the wood board that can be seen throughout the sofa. This design gives a fluent visual effect to the eye. The sofa is designed as low-positioned furniture piece; almost touching the ground. Its armrests are uniquely-designed as the two panels are parallel with the ground. The scale of the board has just enough space for a person. It could also be used for writing or setting stuff on. The color of cushions is modern-red with no decorative pattern. The big cushion can be used for sitting whereas the two other square-shaped, cotton-made cushions can be used for relying.
When the two sofas are compared, it can be easily noticed that their shapes, structures, materials, and functions are similar. However, the major difference between them is the absolutely distinguishable visual sense. The settee that I have chosen as a Historicism example shows an improved classical style with a better functional shape. However, it uses a lot of Classical-style decorative patterns. It would not be incorrect to state that it reflects a rich cultural heritage and traditional symbolism. Also, the Egyptian-style materials (wood and damask) and colors (noble dark green) are dominant in this piece. These are representative characteristics of historicism. In contrast, the piece of furniture I have chosen as a symbol of Modernism does not have much decorative texture. Modernism uses strange lines to create geometrical shapes. Nevertheless, this feature does not affect the overall sense of design. It has actually achieved the goal that when art and technology become united, the main purpose of the design is the people, not products (the design of the armrests).
