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Pastime in Ancient Egypt

Engraver Charles William Sharpe British
After Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema British, born The Netherlands
Publisher Gebbie & Barrie American
1876
Not on view
Harpists here accompany musicians and dancers who entertain the Pharaoh and his family within an interior adorned with lotus topped columns and a sculpture resembling a mummy case. Sharpe's engraving reproduces Alma-Tadema's 1863 painting (Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston), made shortly after he visited Italy and met Georg Ebers, an Egyptologist who encouraged a life-long fascination with the ancient world. "Pastimes [rather than Pastime] in Ancient Egypt" was shown at the Paris Salon of 1864 and won a gold medal, then was sent to the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, America's first international fair. At that time Gebbie & Barrie published this engraving in a commemorative catalogue (a similar print by Sharpe, perhaps an earlier state, had appeared in London's "The Art Journal" in April 1874.)

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Pastime in Ancient Egypt
  • Engraver: Charles William Sharpe (British, Birmingham 1818–1899 Burnham, Buckinghamshire)
  • Artist: After Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (British (born The Netherlands), Dronrijp 1836–1912 Wiesbaden)
  • Publisher: Gebbie & Barrie (American, active 1873–80)
  • Date: 1876
  • Medium: Etching and engraving
  • Dimensions: Image: 6 11/16 × 9 1/8 in. (17 × 23.2 cm)
    Sheet: 9 3/8 × 12 5/8 in. (23.8 × 32 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of Donato Esposito, 2015
  • Object Number: 2015.653.5
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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