Fascination with ancient Egypt is a recurring theme in Western culture, and here Brian Curran uncovers its deep roots in the Italian Renaissance, which embraced not only classical art and literature but also a variety of other cultures that modern readers don’t tend to associate with early modern Italy. Patrons, artists, and spectators of the period were particularly drawn, Curran shows, to Egyptian antiquity and its artifacts, many of which found their way to Italy in Roman times and exerted an influence every bit as powerful as that of their more familiar Greek and Roman counterparts. Curran vividly recreates this first wave of European Egyptomania with insightful interpretations of the period’s artistic and literary works. In doing so, he paints a colorful picture of a time in which early moderns made the first efforts to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs, and popes and princes erected pyramids and other Egyptianate marvels to commemorate their own authority. Demonstrating that the emergence of ancient Egypt as a distinct category of historical knowledge was one of Renaissance humanism’s great accomplishments, Curran’s peerless study will be required reading for Renaissance scholars and anyone interested in the treasures and legacy of ancient Egypt.

The Egyptian Renaissance: The Afterlife of Ancient Egypt in Early Modern Italy

Arts & Photography

Curran, Brian

History & Criticism

University of Chicago Press

When the volcano Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, the city of Pompeii was buried in ash and rock, then forgotten, left almost perfectly preserved for centuries. Archaeological excavation of the site began in 1748 and revealed extraordinary evidence about public and private life at the height of the Roman Empire. In this text, Colin Amery and Brian Curran of the World Monuments Fund describe the history of Pompeii from its origins to its tragic destruction. They discuss the repercussions of the discoveries made there on art, archaeology and interior design, and explain the ongoing conservation and renovation work that is taking place at the site.

The Lost World of Pompeii

History

Amery, Colin

Ancient Civilizations

Frances Lincoln

"An important, illuminating call to arms not only for those in the preservation community but for anyone interested in the fate of some of the world's most significant and threatened cultural treasures." -Robert A.M. Stern Dedicated to the preservation of our planet's architectural treasures, the World Monuments Watch was established in 1996 to aid in the rescue of endangered cultural sites. Breathtaking full-color photographs, many newly commissioned, portray the most important sites on the Watch's list between 1996 and 2000-including such marvels as the Angkor Archaeological District in Cambodia, Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park, ancient Pompeii, and many others around the globe. Spanning Baroque palace gardens in Vienna to an ancient city in the central Asian desert, the book includes brief discussions of each site. Published in association with the World Monuments Fund, the parent organization of the World Monuments Watch, this richly visual book will appeal to anyone interested in architecture, archaeology, and cultural history. 239 photographs, 150 in full color, 240 pages, 93/4 x 11"

Vanishing Histories: 100 Endangered Sites from the World Monuments Watch

Colin, Amery

Harry N. Abrams

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Books by Curran, Brian