Berlin - Germany, łatę 19th century

Exquisite decorative architectural element, a wall hanging of generous scale. Sand cast bronze, with old verdigris patination and painstaking detail to the composition, the scales and twin heads of Horus. The energy expressed in beautiful coiled, tensile form. Bronze castings have a long tradition in Berlin, the most renown being the Aktien-Gesellschaft Gladenbeck that operated from 1851 until 1926. Horus, a god in the form of a falcon whose right eye was the sun or morning star, representing power and quintessence, and whose left eye was the moon or evening star, representing healing. Falcon cults, which were in evidence from late predynastic times, were widespread in Egypt. This coiled serpent form is equally reminiscent of Nehebkau a primordial snake god in ancient Egyptian mythology. Ultimately considered a powerful, benevolent and protective deity, he is described as a companion of the sun god Re.

Dimensions: L 79cm x H 57cm

Egyptian revival: Egyptian culture first enchanted the West when Cleopatra captured the hearts of legendary Romans Julius Caesar and later Mark Antony more than two thousand years ago. Centuries later, Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign (1798–1801) ignited an inextinguishable fascination with ancient Egypt. This novel exposure to Egypt inspired Egyptian Revival. The design style permeated Western decorative arts, furniture, jewelry, architecture, commemorative, and funerary monuments. Egyptian-inspired designs provided an exotic alternative to other fashionable styles of the period. Obelisks, hieroglyphs, sphinxes, pyramids, scarabs, and lotus blossoms were popular motifs. Imagery was construed and adapted in different ways, from literal interpretations to fanciful artistic motifs.