egyptian revival
Architecture of the 19th and early 20th centuries that uses ancient Egyptian forms and ornament.
Egyptian revival architecture is an application of forms and motifs from ancient Pharaonic Egyptian architecture to buildings of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Common features include flared "papyrus" columns, bas-relief carvings, flared cornices, walls and doorways with a slight incline, and painted Egyptian designs. It was used occasionally in theaters, retail buildings, and public buildings. It was one of the less-often used revival styles of the period.
The later building borrows the shapes or surface ornament of ancient Egyptian construction. Those motifs can appear on a theater, shop, or public building without giving it the original ancient function.
Ancient Egyptian architecture belongs to its own historical setting. The revival is a later reuse of that vocabulary rather than an ancient structure merely preserved into modern times.
