Unusual 1820's English-made black marble model of the Goshen Obelisk, Egypt

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About the Item

Goshen Obelisk, Egypt Ashford Black Marble, 19” h., traces of gilding 1820’s, perhaps by John Mawe (Possibly best known as the Obelisk erected by Charleton Heston as Moses in the Ten Commandments) When we think of black stone models of ancient Egyptian obelisks, we think of the variety of nero antico marble replicas fashioned in Rome, generally in the mid-19th century. However, by the first part of the 19th century – the 1820’s and possibly earlier – English artisans were at work on the same Classicizing subjects, and others, made from so-called Ashford Black Marble, quarried in Derbyshire. In fact a type of limestone, ‘Black Marble’ was employed in the making of a variety of decorative objects and ornament through to the century’s end. In 1794, John Mawe co-founded a business near London’s Covent Garden, which included trade in objects made of Ashford ‘Black Marble’. By 1800 he had established a ‘Free Museum’ at Matlock Bath in Derbyshire – in fact a store focused on goods in marble and other stores. He relocated the London shop to a tonier address - The Strand – in 1811. Mawe died in 1829 and the business continued on much as before, as a partnership, between his wife Sarah and James Tennant, both expert mineralogists. Mawe and Tennant often marked their wares, either scribing their names into hard surfaces or adhering ornate paper labels. In the intervening two centuries, of course, these labels have largely fallen away. Among the earliest of these objects made of ‘Black Marble’ were a group of well-made, highly-finished architectural models, especially of Egyptian obelisks. By 1828, Mawe had a “Catalogue”, featuring “Black Marbles of the finest quality,” including “correct copies of Cleopatra’s Needle, Bankes’s Obelisk with Greek inscriptions, the Obelisk at Helopolis and at Zan.” The same Catalogue includes a list of architectural replicas apparently imported from Italy., including “Models of the Leaning Tower, Baptistery, and Cathedral at Pisa; Trajan’s Pillar, Scipio’s Tomb, and a great variety of smaller Articles.” Why does Mawe’s list include only ancient obelisks still located in Egypt (or very recently moved to England directly from Egypt) , rather than those imported to Rome? Part of the answer may have to do with the then current popularity in England of all things Egyptian. The Egyptian Revival, seen in the period’s Arts, Architecture, decorative arts, literature, etc., began with Napoleon’s recent conquest of Egypt, and, highly-organized, large-scale looting (is there another word?) of the range of ancient artifacts. When exhibited, these objects inspired a high-pitched fascination. The Egyptian Revival in England was further fuelled by Lord Nelson’s victory over the French in the Battle of the Nile in 1801; and by Egypt’s 1819 gift to Britain of the so-called Cleopatra’s Needle, then standing in Helopolis. Retailer Mawe, apparently, sensed an opportunity. Mawes’ Catalogue from the 1820’s is paralleled by Tennant’s list, which includes obelisks into the 1870’s, though the latter’s interests in mineralogy began to predominate by the 1850’s. Goshen Obelisk, Heliopolis, Egypt Interestingly, the Heliopolis and Zan obelisks on Mawe’s list are, in fact, the same monument, located at the site of the ancient fortress of Zan (also called San or Tanis), in present day Heliopolis, along the Nile in what was, in Biblical times, Goshen, a region stretching from the Mediterranean, to the Red Sea. It was the land of Goshen that was given the Hebrews by Pharoah, and from which they fled during the Exodus. We doubt the Goshen Obelisk’s religious resonance was lost on Mawe. This very handsome, Ashford ‘Black Marble’ model obelisk titled “Goshen”, is a replica of that obelisk, once called the Obelisk of On and today the Al-Masalla Obelisk. The elaborate hieroglyphics above the base are accurately rendered, acid-etched into the underlying store. This etched surface, like the name ‘Goshen’ on the base, was originally gilded, a very fragile finish, very much worn in the course of the last two centures.

Attributed to:
John Mawe (Maker)
Dimensions:
Height: 19 in (48.26 cm)Width: 5 in (12.7 cm)Depth: 5 in (12.7 cm)
Style:
Egyptian Revival (In the Style Of)
Materials and Techniques:
Marble,Etched,Gilt,Polished
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
1820-1829
Date of Manufacture:
1820s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Lafayette, CA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU114324420203