Here are some of my favorite paintings, done by artists during the Victorian Era. Some may be rather romanticized, but the colors and settings are wonderful and in many ways bring Kemet to life.
Works displayed here are by the following 19th century artists: Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Wright Barker, Frederick Arthur Bridgman, Alexandre Cabanel, Hon. John Collier, Thomas Frances Dicksee, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Edward Lear, Edwin Long, and David Roberts. As a convenience, there are clickable links on some of the titles, to order prints where available.
Enjoy!
An Egyptian Widow in the Time of Diocletian by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema,
1872
Original oil in Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Egyptian Chess Players by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1865
Original oil in private collection
Joseph, Overseer of the Pharoah's Granaries by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema,
1874
Original oil in a private collection
The Finding of Moses by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1904
Original oil in a private collection
Pastime in Ancient Egypt by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema
(Scan courtesy of Imakhu NiankhSekhmet)
Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, England
Circe by Wright Barker
Not exactly Egyptian, but very appropriate for a Sekhmet kid!
Original oil in Bradford Art Galleries and Museums, Bradford, England
Cleopatra on the Terraces of Philae by Frederick Arthur Bridgman, 1896
Funeral of a Mummy by Frederick Arthur Bridgman
Original oil in the J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
Many thanks to Lynn Gregg for sending me a postcard of this painting from the gallery in Kentucky. We now have a full-sized picture of it to enjoy here! Dua-Netjer en-etj, Lynn!
Procession of the Bull Apis by Frederick Arthur Bridgman
Original oil in a private collection.
Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners by Alexandre Cabanel,
1887
Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten,
Antwerp
The Pharaoh's Handmaidens by Hon. John Collier, 1883
Original oil in Roy Miles Gallery, London, England
Cleopatra by Thomas Frances Dicksee, 1876
Original oil in a private collection
The Pyrrhic Dance by Jean-Léon Gérome (Alternative title: Sword Dance
Before Egyptian Ruins)
Original oil in a private collection
The Pyramids Road, Gizah, by Edward Lear, 1873
Original oil in the Fine Art Society, London
Alethe, Attendant of the Sacred Ibis by Edwin Long, 1888
Original oil in the Russell
Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, Great Britain
Anno Domini by Edwin Long, 1883
Original oil in the Russell
Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, Great Britain
An Egyptian Feast by Edwin Long, 1877
Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, Great Britain
The Gods and Their Makers by Edwin Long
Original Oil in Towneley Hall Art
Gallery, Burnley, Lancashire, Great Britain
Love's Labor Lost by Edwin Long, 1885
The background was inspired by Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians by
Sir J. Gardner Wilkinson
Original oil in Dahesh Museum of Art, New York,
NY (poster is available from there)
Sacred to Pasht by Edwin Long, 1888
(He obviously means Bast; note the statue of Sekhmet in the background!)
Great Hall at Karnak by David Roberts
Temple of Philae, Nubia by David Roberts
Under the Grand Portico Philae by David Roberts
Denderah (Tentyris) by (?)
Edfou (Apollinopolis Magna) by (?)
The Household Gods (Alternative title: Offerings to the Gods) by John William Waterhouse, 1880
Original oil in a private collection
If not otherwise noted, the photos above were found at the following links. These are great places to find prints and reproductions, and more information about orientalist art:
University of Utrecht list of paintings featuring Cleopatra
Orientalist Art of the 19th Century
Selections from the J.B. Speed Art Museum
I believe that all images on this page are in the public domain. I do not personally own the copyright to any of them. If anyone does own the copyright to one of these paintings and would like it removed from this webpage, please contact me at neferuhethert at aol.com. Thanks!