Memory of the World: The exhibition “Egyptomania. Marking the 200th Anniversary of the Decipherment of Egyptian Hieroglyphs by J.-F. Champollion” to open in the State Hermitage Museum

The exhibition Egyptomania. Marking the 200th Anniversary of the Decipherment of Egyptian Hieroglyphs by Jean-François Champollion will open in the State Hermitage Museum on October 29, 2022.

The exhibition commemorates the 200th anniversary of the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs and fascination with Ancient Egypt that spread around Europe, Russia included, following Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign. This resulted in the creation of the so-called Egyptian style in art.

Organized in the main exhibition space of the State Hermitage Museum, the Nicholas Hall, the exposition provides a multifaceted overview of works in Egyptian style, among them sculptures, paintings, furniture, carved stones, jewellery and costumes. Some of the highlights include porcelain pieces, notably the celebrated Egyptian Service depicting ancient Egyptian monuments, gifted to Napoleon by Alexander I during their meeting in Tilsit. The Egyptian style of St Petersburg’s architecture is presented by the images created by the Hermitage photographers. A notable feature of the exhibition is that each object comes with a scientific Egyptological commentary. A separate section is dedicated to the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs by the French scholar Jean-François Champollion and the nascency of Egyptology in Russia.

In addition to the State Hermitage Museum’s pieces, the exhibition also features objects from the State Russian Museum, National Library of Russia, State Museum of Urban Sculpture, St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music, Tsarskoe Selo State Museum and Heritage Site, Peterhof State Museum-Reserve, Gatchina Palace and Estate Museum, Kuskovo Memorial Estate, and National Pushkin Museum.