18 Mar Egyptology Studies
Pierre Frey has collaborated with the Louvre on a new collection that takes inspiration from the museum’s exceptional Egyptian antiquities. The Parisian institution holds a world-class collection of Egyptian objects, with 6,000 works on show spanning almost 5,000 years of history, including furniture, clothing, jewellery and sarcophagi. This year also marks an important anniversary in Egyptology: 1822 was the year in which the Rosetta Stone’s hieroglyphics were decoded by Frenchman Jean-François Champollion.
Merveilles d’Egypt includes fabrics, wallcoverings and rugs, all inspired by either the Louvre’s collections or Pierre Frey’s own considerable archives. The designs mix highly recognisable motifs such as the figures and animals on ‘Hatchepsout’ wallcovering (above left), based on some sarcophagus decorations, with a more abstract, contemporary approach, such as ‘Byblos’ (above centre) a carved velvet inspired by Egyptian jewels. Launching the collection in the showroom during London Design Week 2022, Pierre Frey, communications director of Pierre Frey, described ‘Fleurs D’eau’ (above right) with its intricately embroidered lotus flowers, as the “wedding dress” of the collection because of its fine workmasnhip.
Some of the collection was photographed in the Louvre, among the precious objects that inspired the designs: pictured top is the Great Sphinx of Tanis – sculpted with the body of a lion and the face of a king – alongside furniture upholstered in ‘Thebes’ fabric.