The Jewellery Museum is a two-story
villa which belonged to Princess Fatma Al-Zahraa - a member of the
Egyptian Royal family, which she decorated to her taste in 1920. The
foyer is a grandiose affair with burgundy 
soft, deep carpets and carved,
gilded ceilings. From here, a short number of marble steps lead to the first floor.
Portraits of all the royal descendants
of the Mohamed Ali Dynasty (with a brief description) decorate the
walls. 
Very little information is known about the life and history of
Princess Fatma with the exception of her evident extraordinary taste in
interior decoration.
Very little information is known about
the life and history of Princess Fatma with the exception of her evident
extraordinary taste in interior decoration.
The
rooms of the two floors are filled to the brim with display boxes
showcasing every kind of imaginable item of 
status, luxury and wealth.
The most important pieces in the collection are the royal crowns and
tiaras. The
platinum tiara and a pair of matching earrings stand out
from the rest. The tiara, which belonged to the wife of King Fouad was
set with 2,159 first grade diamonds and priceless white pearls.
Also
not to be missed is the private toilet set of King Farouq. The set
comprises huge crystal bottles capped with heavy lids of pure gold and
embossed with the royal coat of arms gracefully perching on a tray of
gold.
Strangely enough, instead of being dazzled by the sheer amount and mastery of craftsmanship of the jewellery
Strangely enough, instead of being dazzled by the sheer amount and mastery of craftsmanship of the jewellery
found in the villa,
the interior decoration is more striking. Unlike most of the private
residences of the royal family in Egypt, which are usually dominated by
the Islamic taste in architecture and decoration, this villa is totally
infl
uenced by European styles.
The
ceilings of every room were hand-painted by Egyptian, Italian and
French artists. Some ceilings depict stories from Greek mythology, while
most of the second floor ceilings depict parts of famous French and
Italian 
love stories, painted in vivid colours. The walls of the villa
are either paneled with oak or chestnut wood, or painted with huge
tableaus of French medieval tales.
Even
the bathrooms on both floors are true works of art. The corridors and
bathrooms are all lined with small white pieces of porcelain made by the
French prestigious porcelain house of Sevres. The walls of the spacious
two bathrooms are hand painted with swimming nymphs, images from the
well-known Fables of La Fontaine, and fairytales all painted on white
backgrounds with bright colors
The
highlight of the villa however, are the wondrous stained glass panels
found in the main hall of the first floor, in 
the stairwell, and in the
first floor bathroom. The most famous French artists of the time were
commissioned to 
create these masterpieces, which recount the tales of
famous European love stories. Unfortunately, the villa had been stripped
from all the personal belongings and furniture of its former owner. It
would have been very 
interesting to see how the Princess furnished such a
villa. The garden is not vast but tastefully kept. The small
well-stocked souvenir shop sells cards, books on the different eras of
Egyptian history, and brightly colored gift 
items at reasonable prices.
The Jewellery Museum is open daily from 9am to 4 pm except on Fridays when it opens from 10am to 11.30am and from 1.30pm to 4pm.
Comments
Post a Comment