cairo

Napoleon Entering Cairo Statue Available At Rau Antiques

Filed under: Art

There is an almost eerie quality to this one of a kind custom made statue depicting Napoleon Bonaparte as he enters Cario during his campaign in Egypt. The small statue was made by famed French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme as a smaller version of a larger bronze statue. It was made around 1897. The statue is done in an ancient style known as "chryselephantine." The inner part of the statue is wood, while it is overlaid with gold and ivory. Ivory is used for Napoleon's face to simulate a more realistic flesh like look. The statue is about 16 and a half inches high.

Gerome, the artist, favored such older Roman and Greek sculpting techniques. The original bronze statue was bought by the French government for public display. This work is an amazing historical reference as well as example of neo-classic revival in the 19th century that has since never been better. Price is $198,000 at Rau Antiques. Learn more here.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: cairo, jean-leon gerome, napoleon, sculpture

Rare Objects Missing From the Egyptian Museum

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Now that the dust has settled a little in Cairo, a full inventory of the Egyptian Museum has been done to assess the damage. The AP reports that according to the Ministry of Antiquities 18 items were taken by looters. On January 28, during the turmoil and chaos around Tahrir Square, thieves climbed a fire escape to the museum's roof and lowered themselves on ropes from a glass-paneled ceiling to the museum's top floor. Around 70 objects were damaged but it wasn't known until an announcement on Sunday night that anything had gone missing. Among the casualties were two gilded wooden statues of King Tut.

Tags: cairo, egypt, egyptian museum, museum

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$50 Million Van Gogh Stolen, Again

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Crimes and Misdemeanors

Not too many paintings get stolen twice from the same museum. A painting of a vase of flowers by Vincent van Gogh was stolen for the second time recently from the Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Cairo, Egypt. The AP reports that the painting was also stolen in 1978 and was recovered two years later in Kuwait. The painting is worth a lot more now, an estimated $50 million. The painting known as both "Poppy Flowers" and "Vase and Flowers," was cut from the frame. Egypt's top prosecutor, Abdel Meguid Mahmoud has said that none of the alarms and only a handful of surveillance cameras were working when the painting was stolen. On Sunday, Egypt's culture minister, Farouk Hosni, announced that the painting had been recovered but later it was reported that the painting is still among the missing.

The small one-foot-by-one-foot painting is similar to a flower scene painted by the French artist Adolphe Monticelli and the Monticelli painting also is part of the Khalil collection. It is believed the van Gogh was painted in 1887, during the phase of rapid productivity that marked the years before his suicide in 1890.

Tags: art theft, cairo, egypt, mahmoud khalil museum, poppy flowers, van gogh, vase and flowers, vincent van gogh

Ritz-Carlton Opening in Egypt in 2012

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Rendering of the Ritz-Carlton Palm Hills in Cairo, Egypt

Ritz-Carlton is coming to Cairo, with the ritzy, 160-room design rendered above. OBMI Resort Design is working to make this hotel not just grand, but green, with the help of 13 LEED certified professionals.

The new Ritz-Carlton Palm Hills (not to be confused with the Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo, also on the way), will feature spectacular views of the pyramids of Giza (!!), a huge spa, a golf clubhouse, two ballrooms, and the fabulous swimming pool you see here (we love those little islands).

"It is our privilege to lead such a remarkable project in one of the world's most iconic destinations. Egypt offers a perfect canvas for us to create a timeless yet contemporary resort that greatly incorporates regional materials and historic traditions. Our holistic approach reflects the principles of sustainability as well as our dedication and attention to the sensitivity of local customs," says OBMI's CEO Doug Kulig. The resort will feature "metal columns designed to resemble the structural elegance of the papyrus plant," as well as "various water systems, inspired by ancient irrigation canals settled along the famous Nile Basin." Guests can also look forward to multiple courtyards and views of the Cairo skyline.

We'll let you know when they're taking reservations (after we make our own)!

Tags: cairo, egypt, OBMI, Ritz-Carlton

Experience Egypt With Zahi Hawass

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

President Obama got a tour of the Pyramids with Dr. Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and you can too. The charismatic Dr. Hawass, who has also been part of a host of documentaries on Egypt's rich past, headlines a weekend discovering the wonders of Cairo November 27-30, 2009. The Wonder With One Of The Seven Wonders package features one night at Fairmont Towers, Heliopolis and two nights at Fairmont Nile City with breakfast and dinner; a full day tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza and Saqqara; a guided tour of the Cairo Museum, Nile Felucca ride and a dinner lecture with Dr. Zahi Hawass. Rates for the three-night package start from $960 per person.

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Tags: cairo, egypt, fairmont, giza, pyramids, zahi hawass, ZahiHawass

MGM Mirage Announces Egypt Hotel

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Real Estate Developments

MGM Mirage and New Giza for Real Estate Development have announced plans for the MGM Grand New Giza on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Equity funding for the development will be provided by New Giza for Real Estate Development while MGM Mirage will provide management services and branding. The 550-room MGM Grand will have views of the city of Cairo and the pyramids of Giza and will be connected via electric train to the new Egyptian antiquities museum currently under construction.

The New Giza development is a new master-planned community that is built over 1,500 acres of land and will include homes, hotels, restaurants, malls and a golf course. Around 80 percent of the 2,500 villas and townhomes will enjoy all-around views of Cairo and the Pyramids of Giza. The hotel is currently under design and is expected to open in 2013.

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Tags: cairo, egypt, giza, hotel, mgm mirage, MgmMirage, pyramids