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Egyptian Revival

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Also termed Neo-Egyptian.

Napoleon's campaign in Egypt (1798) led to the extensive documentation of Egyptian monuments and art, published for a wide audience, sparking widespread fascination in Egyptology. Lewcock (1963:339) relates that the emergence of this style at the Cape was a consequence of the late legacy of Regency picturesque. The style had not taken hold in England, other than in interiors and furnishing. While in South Africa few buildings were influenced by the style, there are, however, fine examples from the earlier half of the C19. Lighthouses, in particular, mimicked their Egyptian prototype through stylistically referencing the Lighthouse of Pharos.

Carter's discovery of Tutankhamen's Tomb in 1922 spurred a second impulse to an Egyptian Revivalism. MOERDIJK, who had visited Egypt in the early 1930s, appropriated stylistic elements in his efforts to initiate an 'Afrikaans' (African/Africander) style.



Buildings on this website in Egyptian Revival style

Laerskool Gimnasium - Gymnasium Primary School - Kleingim: 1858. Paarl, Western Cape
Lighthouse, Cape Agulhas : 1848. L’Agulhas, Western Cape
Lighthouse, Seal Point: 1876-1878. Cape St Francis, Eastern Cape
Monument to the Fallen of the Second Batallion of the Norfolk Regiment: post 1900. Bloemfontein, Free State
South African College - 'Egyptian Building' - now UCT Michaelis School of Art: 1839-1841. Gardens, Cape Town, Western Cape
Transformer Building - Kakamas Museum: 1914. Kakamas, Northern Cape
University of Pretoria, Merensky Library: 1933. Hillcrest, Tshwane (Pretoria), Gauteng