Eight Ceiling Patterns, Tomb of Nebamun and Ipuky
ca. 1390–1349 B.C.
Medium
Tempera on Paper
Dimensions
facsimile: h. 53.5 cm (21 1/16 in); w. 79.5 cm (31 5/16 in) scale 1:1 framed: h. 59.4 cm (23 3/8 in); w. 80 cm (31 1/2 in)
Classification
Facsimile, Nebamun (TT 181), Ipuky, ceiling
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1930
Accession Number
30.4.102
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of ancient Egyptian art, *Eight Ceiling Patterns* from the Tomb of Nebun and Ipuky a stunning glimpse into New Kingdom splendor. Dating to around 1390–1349 B.C. during Dynasty 18, these designs adorned the ceiling of a tomb belonging to two high-ranking officials, likely scribes or administrators in the royal court. Such tombs, carved into the cliffs of western Thebes (modern Luxor), were elaborate afterlife homes meant to ensure eternal prosperity. The patterns—featuring repeating motifs of stars, lotuses, and geometric forms—symbolized the cosmos, rebirth, and divine pro...
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...