The pyramides of Egypt 17th century

Curator: Let's turn our attention to this striking 17th-century print entitled "The Pyramides of Egypt", currently held here at the SMK. It's an engraving from an anonymous artist. Editor: Well, immediately, I’m getting this really interesting mix of monumental and kind of…stagey. It’s like ancient Egypt imagined through a European lens. Do you see it, too? Curator: Absolutely. It is crucial to remember the social context of the period in which the artist made this piece. This work reveals much about the European fascination with, and projection onto, Egypt. How it's being framed within Western ideals. It also touches upon concepts of labor, spectacle, and even imperial authority. Editor: Yeah, the pyramids feel almost secondary to that figure seated on the right. He’s draped in such elaborate regalia! He gives off a Roman Emperor vibe meets…something exotic. He's almost comically exaggerated. It's all part of a grand production, it appears, where every element plays a prescribed part. I'm getting this impression that what we're actually seeing is as much about power as it is history. Curator: Precisely! Note the figures struggling with blocks at the base of the pyramid, seemingly dwarfed by both the scale of the monument and the seated leader with the people around him. This wasn't created for Egyptians; it was created for a European audience with a clear socio-political viewpoint. And note how there is this deliberate choice to include what is known, for a 17th century European audience, with the exotic and less-known. Editor: So much is lost in translation, then found. I appreciate the complexity this brings. It encourages us to rethink the original context and maybe view this piece as something of a time capsule, revealing a slice of Europe as much as a slice of Egypt. Curator: A perfect reflection, as ever. An analysis of this image helps in deciphering Europe's view of foreign people, history, and civilization and how those projections become powerful, even problematic representations. Editor: A moment suspended in time—seen through multiple layers of interpretation and cultural appropriation. Thank you, Curator.