Gesso Preparation and Application, Tomb of Rekhmire

Art Historical Context

Step into the world of ancient Egyptian artistry with *Gesso Preparation and Application* from the Tomb of Rekire, a vivid facsimile capturing a crucial step in New Kingdom tomb decoration. Dating to Dynasty 18 (ca. 1479–1400 B.C.), this scene from the Theban tomb of vizier Rekhmire (TT100) depicts skilled workmen mixing and applying gesso—a gypsum-based plaster—to walls, preparing them for the vibrant frescoes that would immortalize the elite's afterlife journey. Such detailed vignettes of craft processes are rare, offering a window into the meticulous techniques that ensured tomb paintings endured for millennia. Created by Nina de Garis Davies in tempera on paper at a precise 1:1 scale, this 1933 acquisition preserves the original's colors and details, which have faded in the tomb itself. Davies, a pioneering 20th-century Egyptologist and artist, specialized in watercolor facsimiles that faithfully reproduced ancient murals, aiding scholars and visitors alike. Her work highlights the collaborative artistry of ancient Egypt, where craftsmen layered gesso for a smooth, absorbent surface ideal for mineral pigments. Displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Egyptian Art department, this piece underscores the cultural reverence for artistry in the New Kingdom, blending daily labor with eternal symbolism. It's a testament to how Rekhmire's tomb celebrated not just nobility, but the unsung heroes behind its splendor.

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...