Egypt in Croatia: Croatian Fascination with Ancient Egypt from Antiquity to Modern Times

At first sight, it seems that ancient Egyptian history and culture have no meaningful ties with present-day Croatia. However, when we scratch beneath the surface of the common idea of Egypt, that of a distant and ancient civilisation, we notice that its elements have been present in Croatia ever since antiquity. Egypt in Croatia provides a closer look at many aspects of the presence and fascination of ancient Egyptian culture in Croatia, from antiquity to the present. The topics explored are the artefacts discovered in present-day Croatia (mostly from the early 19th century), Croatian travellers to Egypt from the 16th to the middle of the 20th century, Egyptian collections in Croatia and early collectors from the 1820s until the 1950s, an overview of the development of Egyptology of study within Croatia as well as the various elements of ‘Egyptomania’ found in Croatia, mostly from the beginning of the 19th century.

Table of Contents

Preface ;

Chapter I: Ancient Egyptian culture in Croatia in Antiquity – Mladen Tomorad ;
1. Early penetration of ancient Egyptian artefacts and Aegyptiaca (7th–1st centuries BCE) ;
2. Diffusion of ancient Egyptian cults in Istria and Illyricum (late 1st–4th centuries BCE) ;
3. Possible sanctuaries of Isaic cults in Croatia ;
4. Professions related to the diffusion of Egyptian cults in Croatia and surrounding regions (central and south-eastern Europe) ;
5. Presence of ancient Egyptian gods and artefacts in Croatia ;
6. Ancient Egyptian decorative and architectural elements along the eastern Adriatic coast ;
7. Catalogue of selected artefacts related to the early penetration and diffusion of ancient Egyptian cults in Istria, Dalmatia and Pannonia (1st millennium BCE – 4th century CE) ;

Chapter II. Croatian travellers to Egypt from the 16th to the middle of the 20th century ;
1. Croatian travellers to Egypt: from the early modern period to the tours of the ‘Yugoslav Lloyd’ shipping company of the 1930s – Mladen Tomorad ;
2. The Croatian traveller George Husz from Rascinia: his life in Egypt and the Near East (1532–1541) – Mladen Tomorad ;
3. Jakov Šašel (1832–1903) and his travels to Egypt in 1853/4 – Sanda Kočevar ;
4. The photographs of Antonio Beato in the Dubrovnik archaeological museum – Mladen Tomorad ;
5. Fran Gundrum Oriovčanin in Egypt at the end of 1902 – Mladen Tomorad ;
6. Croatian emigration to Egypt in the 19th and 20th centuries – Mladen Tomorad ;
7. Ivan Meštrović in Egypt, May 1927 – Zorana Jurić Šabić ;
8. Ivan Meštrović: his fascination with ancient civilisations, as reflected in his postcards sent to Ruža Meštrović in May 1927 – Sabina Kaštelančić ;
9. The ‘Yugoslav Lloyd’ shipping company and cruising around the Mediterranean in the 1930s – Mladen Tomorad ;
10. Grga Novak and his first research trip to Egypt (December 1932 – February 1933) – Mladen Tomorad ;

Chapter III. Egyptian collections in Croatia ;
1. Early collectors and the genesis of the most important Egyptian collections in Croatia (1820 – 1950s) – Mladen Tomorad ;
2. Egyptian collections in Croatia – Mladen Tomorad ;
3. History of Egyptian objects in the Osijek archaeological museum – Marina Kovač ;
4. Catalogue of selected artefacts from institutional collections in Croatia – Mladen Tomorad ;

Chapter IV. Egyptology in Croatia – Mladen Tomorad ;
1. Development of Egyptology in Croatia ;

Chapter V. The Egyptian revival and ‘Egyptomania’ in Croatia ;
1. Egyptian revival and modern ‘Egyptomania’ in Croatia – Mladen Tomorad ;
2. Egypt as imaged by 19th- and 20th-century Zagreb: buildings, monuments and street furniture – Marina Bagarić ;
3. Ivan Meštrović – creating art for eternity: Meštrović’s fascination with ancient Egypt as illustrated by the family mausoleum in Otavice – Zorana Jurić Šabić ;
4. Influences of Egyptian style in furniture making: examples from the Museum of Arts and Crafts, Zagreb – Vanja Brdar Mustapić ;
5. ‘Egyptomania’ and clock production: examples from the Museum of Arts and Crafts, Zagreb –