From Roman emperors to modern-day travellers, ancient Egypt has captivated the imagination for millennia. Seduced by the allure and mystery of the land of the pharaohs, early 20th century explorers set out on expeditions to uncover secret treasures.
The most recent noteworthy wave of Egyptomania followed the discovery of Egyptianian pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb and the mysteries inside in 1922, with its incredible jewels, talismanic objects, and breathtaking gold burial mask, giving way to the Egyptian revival of the 1920s. A new era of Egyptomania has dawned influencing every part of the arts and intellectual life – from the Art Deco movement through films and literature to unique writing instruments.
Newspapers and magazines such as “Vogue” featured Egyptian fashions and interior designs as well as fabrics and embroideries. This was also a fertile time for jewellers, who produced many stunning pieces in the “20s and 30s”, some of which comprised ancient Egyptian artifacts in their compositions.
Cartier, for example, designed and produced Egyptian-style jewellery beginning around 1910 (probably inspired by the exhibition at the Louvre in 1911). The brooches, earrings, pendants, and more were the result of some serious research on the part of Cartier, who was dedicated to the authenticity of each design.
After 1922, Cartier began to incorporate antiquities into its Egyptian-style pieces, and this second stage of designs continued into the mid-to-late 1920s at the behest of Louis Cartier, who was a collector of Egyptian art. Some Egyptian Revival pieces were produced by Cartier into the 1930s.
Montblanc offered an Egypt-inspired fountain pen in the 1920s. This “Egyptian Fountain Pen” featured an octagonal shape and Egyptian-style engravings. Today the design is being reimagined, proving that the best conceptions never really go out of style, but rather gain new life with a fresh audience.
Fountain Pen from the 1920s
