Purifying and Mourning the Dead, Tomb of Nebamun and Ipuky
ca. 1390–1349 B.C.
Medium
Tempera on paper
Dimensions
Facsimile: H. 38.7 × W. 83.5 cm (15 1/4 × 32 7/8 in.), scale 1:1, Framed: H. 40.3 × W. 85.4 cm (15 7/8 × 33 5/8 in.)
Classification
Facsimile, Nebamun (TT 181), Ipuky, purifying, mourning
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1930
Accession Number
30.4.108
Tags
Art Historical Context
This facsimile captures a poignant funerary scene from the New Kingdom tomb of Nebamun and Ipuky, two officials who lived during Egypt’s Dynasty 18 (ca. 1390–1349 B.C.). Created by artist Charles K. Wilkinson in tempera on paper at a precise 1:1 scale, the copy preserves the original wall painting’s vivid details for modern viewers. The scene depicts the ritual purification of the deceased and the accompanying mourners, elements central to ancient Egyptian beliefs about preparing the soul for the afterlife. In the composition, women and men perform ceremonial acts around a sarcophagus, their ...
About the Artist
Charles K. Wilkinson · 1897–1986
Charles K. Wilkinson (1897–1986), born Charles Kyrle Wilkinson in London on October 13, 1897, was the son of Horace W. Wilkinson, a stained-glass window maker, and Frances Adkins. Serving in World War I, he honed his artistic skills at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, where the influential director Henry Tonks shaped the rigorous training of a generation of draughtsmen. In ...