Craftsmen, Tomb of Nebamun and Ipuky
ca. 1390–1349 B.C.
Medium
Tempera on Paper
Dimensions
facsimile: h. 50 cm (19 11/16 in); w. 159.5 cm (62 13/16 in) scale 1:1 framed: h. 57.5 cm (22 5/8 in); w. 165.1 cm (65 in); th. 3.8 cm (1 1/2 in)
Classification
Facsimile, Nebamun (TT 181), Ipuky, jewelers, carpenters, metal workers
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1930
Accession Number
30.4.103
Tags
Art Historical Context
This facsimile by Egyptologist and artist Norman de Garis Davies reproduces a lively scene from the tomb of Nebamun and Ipuky, two officials who served during Egypt’s New Kingdom, Dynasty 18 (ca. 1390–1349 B.C.). Painted in tempera on paper at a precise 1:1 scale, the copy preserves the original wall painting’s composition and colors, allowing modern audiences to study the artwork without traveling to the Theban necropolis. The scene shows craftsmen at work, their tools and gestures rendered with the careful observation typical of New Kingdom tomb decoration. Such images were not merely decor...
About the Artist
Norman de Garis Davies · 1865–1941
Norman de Garis Davies (1865–1941) was a British Egyptologist and archaeological artist whose meticulous copies of ancient Egyptian tomb paintings constitute one of the most important records of pharaonic art ever made. Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, he originally trained for the ministry before being drawn into Egyptology through his involvement with the Egypt Exploration Fund in the 1890...