Name of Object:

Bracelet in French Egyptian Revival style

Location:

Rome, Italy

Holding Institution:

Borghese Gallery

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Holding Institution (original language):

Galleria Borghese

Date of Object:

c. 1809

Author:

Jean Baptiste Claude Odiot (1763, Paris-1850, Paris)

Inventory Number:

Inv. DCIII

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Gold; engraving; niello

Dimensions:

2.4 x 21.4 cm

Description:

This bracelet, owned by Princess Paolina Bonaparte (1780–1825), wife of Camillo Borghese, was made by one of the most famous goldsmiths in Paris, Jean Baptiste Claude Odiot, as identified by the trademark on the safety lock of the bracelet. The elegant Egyptian decoration made by hieroglyphics and triangles alternating with little palms is inspired to the book Voyage dans le Basse et Haute Égypte, written by Dominique Vivant Denon (1745–1825) during Napoleon’s campaign along the Nile river in 1798 and published between 1802 and 1810. The ancient Egyptian fashion, popular in Italy since the second half of the 18th century, influenced furniture design and works of art following publication of Denon’s book, which popularized a “retour d’Egypte”.

Citation of this web page:

Marina Minozzi "Bracelet in French Egyptian Revival style" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;it;143;en;N

Prepared by: Marina Minozzi
Copyedited by: Anne Dowell

MWNF Working Number: IT2 001