Egyptomania and Josiah Wedgwood's Egyptian ware. Re-creating Wedgwood's life and times and the reasons behind his success.
Dr. Bob Brier
Professor, C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University.
Ever since Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, the world has been fascinated by ancient Egypt. Dr. Brier will trace the history of Egyptomania from ancient times. With this as background we will see how Napoleon Bonaparte's Egyptian campaign (1798-1801) influenced Josiah Wedgwood's Egyptian ware and how these marvelous ceramics fit into the tradition of Egyptomania. Bonaparte brought 150 artists and scientists with his army to Egypt and when they returned to Europe they brought with them the first accurate depiction of Egyptian monuments. In addition, their discovery of the Rosetta stone launched a European fascination with hieroglyphs and images never before seen on his pottery.
Place: Sotheby's 1334 York Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY
Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2003
Time: 6:30 PM Lecture