Anubis Weighing the Heart, Tomb of Nakhtamun
ca. 1279–1213 B.C.
Medium
Tempera on paper
Dimensions
Facsimile: H. 65.5 cm (25 13/16 in.); W. 68 cm (26 3/4 in.) 1:1 Framed: H. 69 cm (27 3/16 in.); W. 71.1 cm (28 in.)
Classification
Facsimile, Nakhtamun (TT 341), Anubis
Period
New Kingdom, Ramesside
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1933
Accession Number
33.8.21
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the heart of ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs, *Anubis Weighing Heart* captures a pivotal moment from the Book of the Dead: the jack-headed god Anubis places the deceased's heart on scales against the feather of Maat, goddess of truth and justice. If balanced, the soul enters paradise; if not, it's devoured by the monster Ammit. This scene adorned the tomb of Nakhtun, a high-ranking official during Egypt's New Kingdom (ca. 1279–1213 B.C.), Dynasty 19, in the Ramesside period—a golden age of imperial power under pharaohs like Ramesses II. This vibrant facsimile, created by pioneering Egyp...
About the Artist
Nina de Garis Davies · 1881–1965
Nina de Garis Davies, born Anna Macpherson Cummings on January 6, 1881, in Salonika, Greece, to English-Scottish parents Cecil J. Cummings and Sarah Macintosh Tannoch, showed early artistic talent as the eldest of three daughters. After her father's death in 1894, the family relocated to Scotland and then London, where she trained at the Slade School of Art. In 1906, at age 25, a holiday trip to E...