“First movers” exhibition, pharaonic furniture glory inspiring modern styles

First movers exhibition in the Egyptian museum

In the light of the Egyptian-Danish Dialogue Initiative, “First Movers” exhibition was open Last Friday, 21^st of June in the Egyptian Museum. The exhibition shows Pharaonic furniture making and its influence on the modern Danish perspectives.

Who are the “First Movers”

Since the dawn of time, the Egyptian pharaohs have set the very first rules in different fields. Among which were the first steps that put the foundations for furniture design. Over the years, the art of furniture design has emerged out of the pharaonic design basics. The design of the bed, table and chair as we know it has been originally developed out of the ancient Egyptian style.

Pharaonic furniture greatly inspired many Danish architects and designers. The considered to be “golden age” of Danish furniture design (1940-1960) was greatly influenced by the Egyptian furniture. The pharaonic furniture has deeply caught the attention of Dan Svarth. Svarth is a Danish architect and furniture designer who is greatly fascinated by the ancient pharaonic designs.

“I have been more amazed by the simplest and most elegant furniture from Egypt than I have been with any other ancient furniture”, Svarth said.

Dan Svarth, when true passion leads

Svarth studied at both Kunsthåndværkerskolens Furniture Department and The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture. At the latter, he worked as a teacher and conducted research. In addition to that, Dan Svarth has also worked at Poul Kjærholm’s design studio and at the Arts and Crafts School’s line for Furniture and Space Art.

Dan Svarth has dug deep into the pharaonic furniture style and its impact on the modern design approaches. He spent years of travelling around museums, researching and studying the Egyptian craftsmanship and techniques. Being a skilled model builder, Svarth has been working on creating models for ancient furniture findings ever since 1985. Dan Svarth built over 100 mesmerizing pharaonic furniture miniatures in the scale 1:5. The exhibition shows about 35 pieces of these miniatures. It also shows some of Dan Svarth’s own furniture designs in full scale as well as modern classics from Hans J. Wegner and Finn Juhl.

Here are some of the pharaonic miniatures by Dan Svarth:

Chest from Tutankhamun’s tomb, 18th Dynasty, c. 1340 BC. Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Folding chair from Tutankhamun’s tomb, 18th Dynasty, c. 1340 BC. Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Cabinet from Yuia and Thuiu’s tomb, 18th Dynasty, c.1340 BC. Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Stool from Tutankhamun’s tomb, 18th Dynasty, c. 1340 BC. Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Chair from Tutankhamun’s tomb, 18th Dynasty, c. 1340 BC. Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Bed from Queen Hetephere’s tomb, 4th Dynasty, c. 2250 BC. Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Bed from Tutankhamun's tomb, 18th Dynasty, c. 1340 BC. Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Modern Danish furniture in full scale:

Chieftain chair designed by Finn Juhl 1949

Chair-designed-by-Finn-Juhl-1945 — Chair designed by Finn Juhl, 1945

Reading chair designed by Finn Juhl 1953 — Reading chair designed by Finn Juhl, 1953

Egyptian Chairdesigned by Finn Juhl 1949 — Egyptian Chairdesigned by Finn Juhl,1949

The exhibition is on till the 1^st of August in the Egyptian museum, Tahrir Square. It’s an introduction to the next one taking place in Cairo within the upcoming months. The next exhibition will show more pharaonic miniatures and pieces of modern Danish furniture.

Don’t miss this chance to see the beauty of the past and how it influences our present and future.

Nouran Ashraf

An architect who’s passionate about movies, design, and advertising. Living for the art of storytelling in different ways, and always seeking to write inspiring stories about good things in the world.

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