Discovery of Egypt

Vivant Denon's Travels with Napoleon's Army

Nonfiction, History, Ancient History, Egypt, Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Discovery of Egypt by Terence Russell, The History Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Terence Russell ISBN: 9780752495811
Publisher: The History Press Publication: December 15, 2005
Imprint: The History Press Language: English
Author: Terence Russell
ISBN: 9780752495811
Publisher: The History Press
Publication: December 15, 2005
Imprint: The History Press
Language: English

Dominique-Vivant Denon was a lover of the Empress Josephine, a compulsive collector, the first director of the Louvre museum and Bonaparte's adviser on artistic matters. Indeed, Denon was known as 'Napoleon's eye'. But the man who impressed the emperor with his courteous manners and his talent for pornographic drawing was also the primary force behind revealing Egypt's civilisation to an astonished Europe. Invited to accompany Bonaparte during the French Expedition to Egypt - a staging post in Napoleon's campaign to wrest India from the British - Denon was forcibly struck by Egypt's architecture. With often only a few minutes to record the scene before him, he would sketch under fire. On one occasion he worked for sixteen hours, while the windblown sand caused his eyelids to bleed. Upon his return to France, Denon published Travels in Upper and Lower Egypt. His insightful and deeply humane volume became an instant bestseller. Hitherto no one had suspected that Egypt's rich and mature civilisation existed. In this book Terence M. Russell unfolds Denon's colourful, extraordinary and contradictory character. While Denon was the first to present to Europe a true and honest image of ancient Egypt and the first European traveller to spend months exploring the desert and recording the monuments he found there, he was also a hard-headed collector. Throughout his travels he made plans for the wonders of Egypt to be crated up and shipped back to Paris.The Discovery of Egypt is a story of heroic endurance and accomplishment set against a bloody military campaign. Illustrated with Vivant Denon's incomparable drawings and the works of others who accompanied Napoleon to the deserts of Egypt, it gives an insight into the mind of one of the first Egyptologists: an adventurer, an artist of consummate ability and a compulsive collector.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Dominique-Vivant Denon was a lover of the Empress Josephine, a compulsive collector, the first director of the Louvre museum and Bonaparte's adviser on artistic matters. Indeed, Denon was known as 'Napoleon's eye'. But the man who impressed the emperor with his courteous manners and his talent for pornographic drawing was also the primary force behind revealing Egypt's civilisation to an astonished Europe. Invited to accompany Bonaparte during the French Expedition to Egypt - a staging post in Napoleon's campaign to wrest India from the British - Denon was forcibly struck by Egypt's architecture. With often only a few minutes to record the scene before him, he would sketch under fire. On one occasion he worked for sixteen hours, while the windblown sand caused his eyelids to bleed. Upon his return to France, Denon published Travels in Upper and Lower Egypt. His insightful and deeply humane volume became an instant bestseller. Hitherto no one had suspected that Egypt's rich and mature civilisation existed. In this book Terence M. Russell unfolds Denon's colourful, extraordinary and contradictory character. While Denon was the first to present to Europe a true and honest image of ancient Egypt and the first European traveller to spend months exploring the desert and recording the monuments he found there, he was also a hard-headed collector. Throughout his travels he made plans for the wonders of Egypt to be crated up and shipped back to Paris.The Discovery of Egypt is a story of heroic endurance and accomplishment set against a bloody military campaign. Illustrated with Vivant Denon's incomparable drawings and the works of others who accompanied Napoleon to the deserts of Egypt, it gives an insight into the mind of one of the first Egyptologists: an adventurer, an artist of consummate ability and a compulsive collector.

More books from The History Press

Cover of the book Do Cats Have Belly Buttons? by Terence Russell
Cover of the book Voices for History by Terence Russell
Cover of the book Hanged at Liverpool by Terence Russell
Cover of the book TSR2 Precision Attack to Tornado by Terence Russell
Cover of the book Enemies of Rome by Terence Russell
Cover of the book US Marine Corps Handbook 1941-1945 by Terence Russell
Cover of the book Very Unusual Air War by Terence Russell
Cover of the book Rorke's Drift Men by Terence Russell
Cover of the book Titanic Valour by Terence Russell
Cover of the book Kilkenny Folk Tales by Terence Russell
Cover of the book Myths & Legends of the Second World War by Terence Russell
Cover of the book Queen Victoria by Terence Russell
Cover of the book Remembering Tommy by Terence Russell
Cover of the book Baby Boomer Generation by Terence Russell
Cover of the book 1950s Southampton Childhood by Terence Russell
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy