A View of the Sphinx at the Pyramids at Gizeh, a Patera, Charged with the Portraits of Osiris and Isis, and Sculptures of Egyptian Musicians, Pompey's or Dioclesian's Pillar, and Cleopatra's Needle

Description

This engraving is taken from Description de l’Égypte, an ambitious work issued in 23 volumes between 1809 and 1828 and containing more than 837 plates. The print is based on sketches made by the artist and diplomat Dominique Vivant, Baron de Denon (1747–1825), who travelled in Egypt in 1798 with Napoleon’s army. When Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) set out on his Egyptian campaign, he established a Commission of Arts and Sciences for Egypt, bringing with him more than 150 engineers, scientists, cartographers, researchers, architects and linguists to record and study the country’s topography, flora and fauna, minerals and industry. The results of their work were eventually published in Description de l’Égypte. In the engraving, the half-buried head of the Sphinx at Giza is shown with European men climbing upon it. This image is surrounded by representations of other monuments: in the center, a patera decorated with fern, papyrus flowers and vine ornaments containing the heads of Osiris and Isis; four flying birds; at the top, statues of three Egyptian musicians playing stringed instruments; and, at the lower left and right, the Monument of Diocletian (Pompey’s Pillar) and Cleopatra’s Needle.