The Battle of the Pyramids on a porcelain plate

Experts discovered fragments of an old plate during archaeological research in the center of Moscow. When it was literally collected piece by piece, it turned out that it was collectible French porcelain of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The drawing on it is dedicated to one of the Napoleonic battles.

Moscow restorers put together a decorative plate depicting the Battle of the Pyramids. A huge number of porcelain fragments were found during archaeological research this winter in Staromonetny Lane. It was from them that a unique artifact was restored. The plate was made in France at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. The stamp on it refers to the period 1868-1919.

“Metropolitan archaeologists make real discoveries that allow you to learn the history and life of Muscovites in the past. For example, even before the start of the archaeological season, an interesting collection of objects was collected during archaeological work in Staromonetny Lane. More than 900 individual finds and more than 20 thousand different fragments have been found. Most of them date back to the 17th-19th centuries. Among the fragments there is a large amount of porcelain. From such parts, the restorers managed to assemble a unique decorative plate depicting the Battle of the Pyramids. The discovered plate belongs to the collection series of the Sarreguemines factory”, — said the head of the Department of cultural heritage of the city of Moscow Alexey Emelyanov.

The plate has a blue design around the edge and a graphic image in the center. In the background are the silhouettes of pyramids and palm trees. And in the foreground, horse and foot soldiers are visible. Below the drawing is the inscription: “Soldats, songez que, du haut de ces pyramides, quarante siècles d’histoire vous contemplent”. This is the famous phrase of Napoleon, uttered at the Battle of the Pyramids.

The Battle of the Pyramids took place on July 21, 1798 between the French and Turkish-Egyptian armies. Before the battle, the French emperor, according to various testimonies, said: “Soldiers! Remember that forty centuries are looking at us from the height of these pyramids!” A documented historical phrase appeared only in the anonymous History of Bonaparte, First Consul, published in 1803.

The Battle of the Pyramids marked the end of 700 years of Mamluk rule in Egypt. The site of the battlefield is now the western suburbs of Cairo.

The city of Sarreguemines in France was famous for its porcelain and faience. In 1790, the Sarreguemines factory was opened there. Napoleon himself was considered a fan of her products. In addition, the first stations of the Paris metro were finished with tiles from Sarreguemines.

In 1828, the factory produced for the first time the very popular tableware with “printed engraving” decor. And later it only consolidated its success by producing products with drawings of various subjects.

The restored plate will be transferred to the Museum Fund of the Russian Federation as part of the entire collection of archaeological finds from Staromonetny Lane.

All the finds, including numerous fragments of porcelain, from Staromonetny Lane, after the completion of archaeological work, were sent for office processing. They were carefully washed, photographed, drawn. After that, restorers began to work with the material. From parts they put together pots, jugs, bowls, tableware and tea utensils.

The archaeological season of 2022 is in full swing in the capital. Since the beginning of the year, archaeologists have already found more than eight thousand artifacts. Thus, over the past 11 years, Moscow archaeologists have already made more than 80,000 finds.

According to the Moscow Department of Cultural Heritage.