More re Bonhams revival sale

The Financial Times (Antony Thorncroft)

Ancient Egypt has always cast a spell. It fell over hard-nosed military leaders from Julius Caesar to Napoleon, over architects and designers and over the general public with the discovery, in 1922, of the tomb of Tutankhamun. Nowadays, the crowds are still flocking, this time to the exhibition of relics from that excavation at the 0 2 Arena in London.

Inspired by the popularity of the current Tut show, and to help fill the dog days of January, on January 23 Bonhams is holding the first ever auction devoted to the Egyptian revival, objects inspired by the discovery of ancient Egypt. There is no shortage of material. Napoleon's adventure in Egypt may have been a military disaster but it was a cultural eye opener, and ancient Egypt inspired furniture makers and sculptors in France and England for much of the 19th century. The almost miraculous find by Harold Carter of the intact burial place of the pharaoh Tutankhamun in the 1920s sparked off a more populist craze for all things Egyptian, particularly in jewellery and domestic furniture.

The Bonhams sale will meet most tastes and pockets. It is weak on early 19th-century furniture although there is an imposing ebony cabinet decorated with gilt on offer. It is 227cm high and estimated at up to £70,000.

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