“History is the witness of times, the torch of truth, the life of memory, the teacher of life, the messenger of antiquity.” Expansion of archaeological findings testifies to Cicero’s words and it also inspires contemporary imagination, bringing to life new objects inspired by arts and crafts from the past. It is maybe the contrast to the fast pace of contemporary life and technology that inspires artists to turn to hand craftsmanship of old civilizations and discover the timeless themes of ancient artifacts, reviving and reinterpreting them for the modern age.
A great example of such inspiration are interior and textile designs of Katie Leede. While many of her designs are inspired by travels to Japan, India and other countries, motifs, patterns and colors from Egypt inspired some of her most exquisite textiles, wall coverings, and furniture.
The wall painting from the tomb of Userhat, for example, inspired the “Shade of Sycamore” design, which wonderfully depicts leaves and fruits of the sacred sycamore fig tree, evocative of the Garden of Paradise, seen through Egyptian eyes. The resulting design is very successful in presenting a dynamic scene while creating a sense of calm.
“Isis” is another of her elaborate designs, inspired by a delightful detail of fan-crested hoopoe and masked shrike in an acacia tree from the tomb of Khumhotep II, at Beni Hasan. This design is also represented in a delightful embroidery work.
Perhaps her most popular Egyptian design is “Papyrus,” where she successfully unites the marshy scenery from a wall painting of Nebamun with William Morris’ geometric repeat of floral patterns from the 1800s.
Blue lotus, the most popular flower in ancient Egypt, inspired “Menna” design. This is a joyful interpretation that appears as if a bundle of lotuses were tossed high in the air and captured in her fabric – a melodic design meant to “sing a song of happy abundance.”
“Bacchus” design takes inspiration from paintings in the burial chamber of Sennefer, depicting a riot of vines with their stems and ripe hanging grapes. The artist formalized this pattern in a large repeat, “bringing calm into it.” Bacchus was the Roman god of wine, so the name also reminds us of cultural interactions in ancient times.
Please note that At the Mummies Ball is in no way associated with Katie Leede and Company – the purpose of this post is to show a wonderful contemporary example of reinterpretation of ancient Egyptian motifs and perhaps will inspire others to give new life to ancient Egyptian themes. There are other artists that may find their way on this blog in the future as well. In the meantime, other designs inspired by ancient Egypt, such as Hathor, Osiris, Amun, Ka, Luxor, etc. can be found on Katie Leede’s website with a short story behind each design.
Just noticed an error or typo in this. It’s Katie Leede, not Katie Leeds. Her website is katieleede.com
Indeed, there was a typo at the beginning of the post. Many thanks Lyn Green!