Title: "La description de l'Egypte" de Jean-Jacques Rifaud (1813-1826)
Description: For the first time, the lithographic plates Jean-Jacques Rifaud (1786-1852) dedicated to Egypt are being published in their entirety. During his long stay in Egypt (nearly 13 years), he aims to publish, on his own, a Voyage en Égypte, en Nubie et lieux circonvoisins (Travel in Egypt and Nubia and surrounding places) to complement the well-known Description de l'Égypte written by the many scholars and scientists of the French expedition. Unfortunately, he will not be able to achieve this ambitious project, even if he succeeds to print 222 plates. On the other hand, the text that was intended to accompany the plates never appeared. As in the Description de l'Égypte, the plates are related to Egyptian antiquities, natural history (botany and zoology) and ethnography. As a pioneer of Egyptology, this extraordinary adventurer was the first to excavate in Karnak, in the Fayoum, in Tanis and in the Delta. Egyptologists will find here several works he brought to light and which are now in Turin, in Paris and in Munich, if they didn't stay in Egypt. Other plates show the Nubian temples (not shown in the Description de l'Égypte), as well as monuments that disappeared in the lime kilns during the 19th century. Naturalists will be particularly interested in the zoological plates, especially those dedicated to the fish. The ethnographical plates distinguish themselves from those of the Description de l'Égypte, especially those dealing with the practices and daily life in Upper Egypt and in Lower Nubia.
Subjects: Catalogs, In art, Description and travel, Antiquities in art
Places: Egypt
People: J.-J Rifaud (1786-1852)