ABSTRACT
Interest in Egyptian art was widespread throughout Italy during the second half of the 18th century. Egyptian designs were chosen for their aesthetic value and adapted to different contexts and purposes. Egyptian or neo-Egyptian patterns found as garden ornaments can be explained as peculiar to an eclectic taste, and their presence reflects how receptive Italian and in this specific instance Tuscan architects were to such new trends originating from abroad, and from Enlightenment thought. This chapter focuses on Stibbert Garden: pharaohs and painted decoration of the Egyptian temple. An obelisk was built on the northern side. The view from the lake side is spectacularly impressive: the building stands out on a small peninsula, two lions7 flank the door and a stairway, with a sphinx at both ends, leads to the water. The architect Giuseppe Del Rosso entered the competition, arguing that Etruscan art originated from the Egyptian.
