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Egyptomania: Egypt in Western Art, 1730-1930
Beginning of article
"Egyptomania" is the term that, for better or worse, has come to define the recurring fascination with ancient Egypt in Western European art and culture. The origin of the term, with its intimations of the irrational and popular dimensions of Egypt's peculiar appeal, remains somewhat obscure. In the early 19th century, the architect Sir John Soane decried what he called an "Egyptian mania" in the visual and decorative arts of his day, inspired by the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt in 1798 and the subsequent British intervention in the region.' The concept of "Egyptomania" was kept in circulation during the 19th and early 20th centuries by classical scholars concerned with the popularity of …
