A lifelong devotee of ancient Egyptian and Oriental culture, the French
author, artist, and scholar Achille-Constant-Théodore-Émile Prisse
d'Avennes (1807-1879) is famed as one of the most influential
Egyptologists, long before the discipline was even properly established.
Prisse first embarked on his explorations in 1836, documenting sites
throughout the Nile Valley, often under his Egyptian pseudonym, Edris
Effendi. Prisse's first publication of notes, drawings, and squeezes (a
kind of frottage) came in the form of Les Monuments égyptiens, a modest
collection of 51 plates, but one met with considerable acclaim in
popular and intellectual circles. Encouraged by his success, Prisse
returned to Egypt in the late 1850s to expand his work into the
collection L'Histoire de l'art égyptien--together with his first volume,
these two tomes make up a truly complete survey of Egyptian art.
His albums cover architecture, drawing, sculpture, painting, and
industrial or minor arts, with sections, plans, architectural details,
and surface decoration all documented with utmost sensitivity and
accuracy. Even when compared to the products of the great
state-sponsored expeditions to Egypt of this period, Prisse's compendium
remains the largest, single-handed illustrated record of Egyptian art in
existence.
Discover the complete collection of Prisse's unsurpassed illustrations
in a visual and archaeological feast of symmetry and complexity. Once
exclusively available as an XL-sized title, this Bibliotheca Universalis
edition captures all the mystery and opulence of Prisse's groundbreaking
collection in an affordable, compact format.
About the series
Bibliotheca Universalis -- Compact cultural companions celebrating the
eclectic TASCHEN universe!
