Lintel
1872-1879 (made)
1872-1879 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Plaster casts from a variety of historic monuments across Cairo, especially those built during the reign of Sultan Qa’itbay (r.1468-96), were made to decorate the ‘maison arabe’ of the French aristocrat, the Comte Gaston de St Maurice (1831-1905), which was built for him between 1872 and 1879.
St Maurice lived in Cairo for twenty years, serving as equerry to the Khedive (Ottoman governor) of Egypt. During that period, he accumulated a large collection of historic objects from Islamic Egypt, dating especially from the 14th-16th centuries but also including some 19th-century objects. The V&A acquired about 200 objects from St Maurice collection in 1884.
St Maurice lived in Cairo for twenty years, serving as equerry to the Khedive (Ottoman governor) of Egypt. During that period, he accumulated a large collection of historic objects from Islamic Egypt, dating especially from the 14th-16th centuries but also including some 19th-century objects. The V&A acquired about 200 objects from St Maurice collection in 1884.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 4 parts.
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| Title | |
| Materials and techniques | Plaster cast |
| Brief description | Plaster cast of different ornaments from monuments in Cairo built during the reign of Sultan Qa’itbay (1468-96). The arabesque panel (1033B) comes from the lintel above one of the shops of the Wikala (caravanserai) near al-Azhar Mosque, built 1477. |
| Physical description | Plaster casts made from locally available Egyptian building plaster, which has a pinkish tone. The surfaces have been patinated. |
| Style | |
| Object history | Bought from the collection of Gaston de Saint-Maurice (1831-1905) in 1884. Saint-Maurice displayed his extensive art collection at the 1878 Paris exhibition, in a gallery entitled L'Egypte des Khalifes. This was part of an official sequence of displays celebrating the history of Egypt, presented by the Egyptian state at this international event. Saint-Maurice held a position at the Khedival court, and had lived in Cairo in 1868-1878. Following the exhibition, Saint-Maurice offered his collection for sale to the South Kensington Museum (today the V&A). |
| Historical context | This object was copied in the Museum and given the number Repro.1884-810 to B. This reproduction was recorded as being on loan to the Royal Scottish Museum according to nominal file (12/12/21), although 810B (2 copies) was written off (Board of Survey R.P. 38/2907). |
| Associations | |
| Summary | Plaster casts from a variety of historic monuments across Cairo, especially those built during the reign of Sultan Qa’itbay (r.1468-96), were made to decorate the ‘maison arabe’ of the French aristocrat, the Comte Gaston de St Maurice (1831-1905), which was built for him between 1872 and 1879. St Maurice lived in Cairo for twenty years, serving as equerry to the Khedive (Ottoman governor) of Egypt. During that period, he accumulated a large collection of historic objects from Islamic Egypt, dating especially from the 14th-16th centuries but also including some 19th-century objects. The V&A acquired about 200 objects from St Maurice collection in 1884. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1033-1884 |
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| Record created | July 30, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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