VFrom the outside, Michel Perpigna's garage is similar to that of Mr. Everyone. But when this 83-year-old man opens the doors to us, we find ourselves transported to the heart of ancient Egypt. Here is a striking replica of the tomb of Nefertari, queen of Egypt who lived in the 13th centurye century BC. A unique work that this painter and restorer created alone, taking care to reproduce every detail of the original site.
The final resting place of the great royal wife of Ramses II was discovered in 1904 by the Italian archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli. One hundred years later, in 2004, Michel Perpigna undertook to reproduce it identically. A pharaonic work that took him only four years to complete. In the garage of his house in Magescq, now the Thot gallery, the walls and ceiling of the two main rooms of the tomb of the Egyptian queen are exhibited, two thirds of their original dimensions. Last summer, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the discovery of Nefertari's tomb, this Egyptology enthusiast had the chance to see his work exhibited at the Mériadeck media library in Bordeaux. More than 2,000 visitors came to see it.
“I still have everything to learn”
Armed with his staff in the shape of an ancient scepter, which he made himself, Michel Perpigna details one by one the secrets of each fresco and the meaning of each hieroglyph. In the eyes of visitors, the expert seems to have nothing to envy of Jean-François Champollion, the French linguist who, in the 19the century, managed to decipher the writing of the Egyptians. But the Magescquois prefers to remain humble: “I still have everything to learn, although I have already learned a lot. »
“The tomb of Nefertari is the one where the most deities are represented,” explains the restorer.
Isabelle Louvier / SO
The man was 42 years old when he went to Egypt for the first time. Fascinated by the history of the pharaohs since childhood, he visits the tomb of Nefertari, without knowing that by entering this place, it is the entire course of his existence that he is about to modify. “When I left there, I immediately told myself that I had to reproduce what I had just seen,” says the octogenarian, “it was obvious. » On his return to France, he took lessons to learn to read hieroglyphics and perfected his art to best succeed in reproducing “the perfect line” of the Egyptians.
Share your knowledge
Other creations by the restorer are currently on display at the Magescq media library. Among them is a striking bas-relief of Cleopatra VII, hand-carved from plasterboard. This is the first work linked to ancient Egypt that Michel Perpigna made. It is accompanied by paintings and reproductions of papyrus, the meaning of which the octogenarian takes pains to explain during workshops organized by the municipal establishment's teams.
-Never tired of passing on his knowledge, the Magescquois would like more young people to be interested in the history of ancient Egypt. “There are certain children who are truly passionate about this civilization,” says the octogenarian, with stars in their eyes, “it’s fascinating to see everything they can remember, the names of the gods, the pharaohs, the scenes of mythology. »
Isabelle Louvier / SO
Michel Perpigna deciphers hieroglyphs with disconcerting ease, but, fortunately, he is also gifted at transmitting his knowledge.
Michel Perpigna's work seems as vast as the secrets of the pharaohs and the man does not intend to stop. “Even if I lived to be 140 years old, I wouldn’t have accomplished 10 percent of what I wanted to do,” he says. From the small stele to the personalized lamp with first names inscribed in hieroglyphics, from reproductions of jewelry of Egyptian kings to masterful paintings, the Magescquois spends his days materializing his fascination for Egypt. Although he speaks about his passion with the utmost seriousness, it is difficult not to see in him the soul of a child who refuses to stop dreaming of pyramids and pharaohs.
