Egyptian Revival Portiere Tapestry Original and 43 similar items

Description This is an amazing piece of hand wrought artwork from the 1920's. A large applique tapestry portiere done in the Egyptian Revival style. Boarding the top is a full feathered wings with double Ankh Symbol of eternal life. The gods are often seen holding an ankh to someone's lips this is considered to be an offering of "The Breath of Life". The breath you will need in the afterlife. Featuring a handsome Pharaoh . The king or Pharaoh is carrying a snake plus the 2 snakes hanging from the wings. The Snake has several meanings: WISDOM, POWER, ENERGY, etc Called the dung beetle because of its practice of rolling a ball of dung across the ground. The Egyptians observed this behavior and equated it with the ball of the sun being rolled across the sky. They confused this balled food source with the egg sack that the female dung beetle laid and buried in the sand. When the eggs hatched the dung beetles would seem to appear from nowhere, making it a symbol of spontaneous creation. In this role it was associated with the sunrise. Khepri was the scarab headed god. This style is indicative of the Art Deco movement which borrowed from Egyptian themes. There is some fascinating symbolism here with the presentation of the lotus flower (or blue water lily). The king from what I have been able to decipher.. not being an Art Historian I've gotten the meaning of the symbols from the net. The colors are dynamic. Earthtones: terracotta, golds, and black appliques on a creamy ground of a nice quality of cotton/linen. The tapestry in in wonderful condition and has been properly stored for the last 30 years. It is a part of my personal collection, It is truly worthy of a museum and sure to be a prize for the collector of antique and unusual textiles. Not a reproduction Measurements: 34" by 62"